Silver Eyes, Deadly Moonlight
by stefani teee
Summary: Shadows have swept across those that were once the heroes of the Earth and colonies. Things have changed drastically. Light and fire are the only things that can protect them. A few couples, RP/HY mostly I think...
1. Default Chapter

Title: Silver Eyes, Deadly Moonlight 

Author: Koneko ^Å^

Email: oceangirl168@hotmail.com

Disclaimers: What more do you want? I don't own anything, I never did, and I probably never will unless Legend of Syoka suddenly becomes the next thing after Harry Potter!

Prologue

~*~*~*~

There are things in this world that most humans have never seen before, and therefore think them nothing but imaginary beings. Oh but they're no fanciful little dreams of fairytale writers, they exist. This prologue is here for any readers who wish to know more of the histories of the beings in this story.

Vampires are not evil, generally, and they remain the same types of person after death as in life. They indeed hide in the shadows and without protection, cannot withhold the power of the sun. Like Hunters, they will be burned to ashes, but as those in the Temple of Light had long made their peace with all Nightwalkers, any Nightwalker of no evil intent is able to go and acquire an amulet, usually a ring which is the most easy to hide. Silver is harmful to any vampire but death does not suddenly fall on those that touch it, though they are burned harshly. They do not die by a stake, as any Slayers (they no longer exist when it became known that Nightwalkers were trustworthy) or Hunters dropped that old way, and instead, silver bullets are more often used.

Hunters are those of the Night as well, and they hate and fear all light, especially fire and the Sun. Their goal is only to kill all Nightwalkers as power is found with the final death of any creature of darkness. But most of all, to seek out the Firestone, long hidden by a priestess of the Temple of Light which will enable them to walk safely in the sunlight and then be able to devour any Nightwalker that seeks haven in the light. Their prey moves from Nightwalkers to humans as well.

Valkyries are protectors and defenders of Heaven. They defend Heaven from anything that dare harm the Golden World and are immensely strong. They remain young for all their lives, but they can be killed.

End Prologue.

This was just an info page. The rest is coming up next!


	2. 

It had been two years since the war had ended. Things had changed drastically, beginning just after the end of the last war. Relena Dorlian Peacecraft resigned from political office and refused to promote peace any longer. The gundam pilots rarely saw each other anymore, although they all had joined the Preventers. Their duties were few and they had time to disappear into their separate lives for the most part of it. But a lot can happen in two years… and one summer night, for Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell, a new world was revealed to them.

~*~*~*~

"Yo Heero! Wait up!" the young man stopped to face the braided boy running after him. "So what does the J'ster want with us, huh? I mean, I have a date with Hilde right around… now. And she's gonna be pissed if I don't make it!"

"Hn."

"Moody ain't ya?" Heero shook his head, finally speaking as they walked down the darkened corridors of the Preventers HQ towards Dr. J's office. As the reached it, the hairs on Heero's spine prickled and he felt danger. He didn't know why, but he was on guard when he walked into the office. There was Dr. J sitting there at his desk. But that wasn't normal, usually he would never be this formal. But he was talking to another man sitting across the mahogany woodwork. Duo began to complain (geez, what else is new?) which attracted Dr. J's attention. He gestured for them to enter, which they did, in military formation. (As much a formation as you can get with only two people) "This is Vlad the II," said Dr. J shortly, introducing him as was his way. Vlad nodded solemnly to the two boys.

"What is this all about, Doc?" asked an impatient Duo. Although they couldn't be seen due to his goggles, Dr. J's eyes flashed. "Don't call me that," he said sharply to Duo who immediately fell silent. "I told you long ago that I wanted all the gundam pilots to be perfect. With the speed, agility, and strength that surpasses any other. What levels you have reached can be lengthened even more… with this man's help." The man stood up, showing how tall he actually was. "Greetings." Heero stared stonily back. He didn't trust this guy, his eyes were a nightmare, which had seen pain, torture, and death… and reveled in it. "How can he help us?"

"Vlad, is a vampire. Better known to you as Dracula, Prince of Darkness." Duo snorted, despite his attempts to hold it back. "You're kidding right? This is all just some elaborate joke, right?" Heero, on his part was less certain. What he believed was, anything that hadn't been proven could very well exist. The tall man looked down at Duo, his eyes narrowing. Duo gulped inaudibly as he saw the man's dark black eyes shift into a silver color. Both boys watched in horror as the man's canine's elongated into fangs. Without another word, he leapt at Duo, crushing him against the wall, his fangs almost at the struggling boy's jugular vein… SMACK! Vlad whirled to face Heero who'd landed a solid kick on the side of his head. "You…" he hissed before releasing the stunned Duo to attack Heero. Heero readied himself for the leap when, right before his eyes, Vlad seemed to disappear, and only seconds later did he feel his entire body held still and a sharp pain in his neck. The dark red blood dripped past Vlad's hungry lips and slowly slid towards the collar of his white shirt, dyeing it red. Heero's eyes closed as he became too light-headed from loss of blood, and he dropped off.

Duo, being held back by a miraculously strong Dr. J was horrified to see his best (and exceptionally strong) friend slump to the ground. He looked up, his face betraying only a minimum of his terror as the vampire advanced on him, his friend lying still on the floor, blood still flowing onto the cold marble floor. That was all he remembered seeing before a sharp pain in his neck told him that he'd end up the same as Heero…

Dr. J looked in exultation at the slumped Duo. Soon they would become what had been his life's goal. Perfect soldiers. The vampire turned on him, bloodlust raging in his eyes. But all he did was swipe at Dr. J with a clawed hand. Dr. J barely felt the blow before the heat of pain and the hot blood poured from his face. "What? Why?" he managed as the vampire attacked him again, but never biting him. "Vampirism is a gift I give to a chosen few. These boys are strong. You however, do not deserve my gift." He said before plunging his hand into Dr. J's chest, severing tissues, organs and muscle… the old man dropped to the ground as limp as a rag doll while blood pooled around his body. He was dead.

Vlad returned to where the two boys still were. They were already coming to… they were strong. Very strong. Bringing one clawed hand to his wrist, he slashed it, roughly shoving it against Heero's lips before the wound closed itself. "Drink." The boy, half-conscious without his mental barriers obeyed, greedily swallowing the dark blood of the vampire. He growled as he pushed away the wrist. Vlad's laughter sounded almost like a snarl, "Had enough?" Heero pulled away from Vlad, although ever bone in his body ached. "Your body will soon die… and you will rise as one of my children." He turned to Duo, knowing that Heero could not even stand, not to mention even try to attack him. It was the same with any vampire; they could never kill their sire. The same happened, Duo's mind was already half-conscious, not enough for him to mentally put up his barriers against mental invasion, but not asleep enough to have the fully dulled senses so that Vlad could never reach him. Soon, black blood was dripping from both boys' lips and Vlad smiled.

Duo never did make his date with Hilde that night.

~*~*~*~

Present, three years after the war…

Relena Peacecraft was running late. No matter that she wasn't Vice Foreign Minister anymore, hell she didn't give a damn about that, she was going to be late for her nephew's birthday party. Okay… so it sounded silly, but Relena loved the child and she wanted him to be happy on his special day.

"Aunt Lena! Aunt Lena!" she had to smile at the adorable little blonde-haired boy with the dark blue eye so of her mother. "Hey baby, how are you?" he frowned momentarily, "I's not baby! I's big now!"

She laughed. "You sure are." He smiled, the frown forgotten. "I's got lots and lots of presents! Come see! Come see!" she was being dragged to the table by a three-year-old, eager to show to her all his gift-wrapped packages. "Wow! There're so many of them!"

"Daddy and Mommy gave them's to me!"

"Actually… Zechs here was the one who showered the child with gifts… he's going to be pretty spoiled, don't you think?" Relena grinned as she looked at her sister-in-law. "Hah! I should've known…"

"Well then, why did you even bother asking?" Relena grinned hugging her brother whom she had grown very close to over the years. "Because… there's always a chance."

Noin suddenly called over from where little Gabriel was begging to open his presents. "Oh yeah… Duo's coming over with Hilde today." she called over to Relena. Duo. Except for him, she hadn't heard from **any** of the Gundam Pilots in so long… it was almost heart-breaking whenever she thought of them wondering why they never kept in contact. Wasn't she worth the few minutes it would take to vid-call her? She shook it away. It didn't matter much anyway.

~*~*~*~

Duo, sitting in the middle of his darkened apartment was twisting the large wood and onyx ring around and around his finger. He did that often when he was thinking hard of something. He was worried, he was supposed to be going to a party tonight. He'd learned a few things over the years, and one of them was that although he could change his eye color from its bright silver color to that of his regular dark blue, he had no control of it when out in the moonlight. Then, there was no hiding it. The ring was an amulet that protected him from the rays of the sun. And when he looked at the reflective blackness of the onyx stone, he couldn't see his reflection. That was pure torture for someone who loved his hair and couldn't see his reflection to braid it! And he couldn't tell Hilde. Hell, he barely thought about his being a vampire, except for the most crucial moments… and whenever they showed _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ on TV again… how wrong they'd gotten it! They didn't lose their souls, they didn't live off of blood… they could eat normal food… blood was necessary though. And he hated it, although he was able to numb that person's mind, taking only minimally. They were big on control, there was never any killing involved with their… feeding. 

"Duo honey?" asked a voice behind him making him jump, his fangs almost unsheathing as he was startled, whirling around to face Hilde. "How many times have I told you NOT to sneak up on me like that?" Hilde sighed, "Duo, we're going to be late for the party! And I want to see that little boy!" Duo smirked, "Ohhh… what dirty pedophilic thoughts are running through **your** head?" he teased. Hilde made an "EW!" face before walking up towards him, running her hands through his loose, long hair. With great skill that came from experience, she began to braid his hair into his normal plait. As soon as she was done, Duo leaned back against her stomach, closing his eyes for a minute before opening them and sighing. "Come on babe, let's go!" he said jumping up and grabbing his black jacket. They were out of there in two minutes, Duo's arm wrapped snugly around Hilde's petite frame.

~*~*~*~

"WHOA, WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!" screeched a harried voice as a frazzled Relena Peacecraft whizzed past a frightened passerby, slamming her foot on the brakes as hard as she could. Tires squealing, the car skidded to a stop just in front of the Peacecraft mansion. She was at the top of the hill where she had to park. And now she had to run down all… those… stairs… Sighing, she picked up her pace, taking two at a time. She never noticed the shadow at the side of the stairs, one eyebrow raised at her dangerous maneuvers. _She never was that coordinated to be able to do that, she must have changed a lot…_ just as Relena tripped near the bottom and was about to fly head over heels when two strong arms caught her. _Then again…_ he thought wryly as she landed squarely on his chest. His enhanced agility might be cursed on him, but for saving damsels in distress (he smiled wryly as he thought of what Relena might think if she should have heard that stereotype) they were exactly what he needed. "Oh my god, thank you!" gasped Relena never noticing who it was as she was busy pulling down her skirt, visibly embarrassed, as relieved as she was. "I was in such a hurry and…" she finally looked up to see who it was… and gasped.

"I don't even need to attempt to kill you. You're accomplishing that all on your own." Relena didn't answer, she was busy looking at him in shock. "Relena… are you that comfortable balancing like that in your… three inch heels?" she blinked before looking down where her feet were on one of the upper steps while Heero was holding her up on one of the lower steps. She scrambled up, blushing as she did so. "Um… Heero… how have you been?" she asked lamely, as she couldn't think of anything else to say. "I've been good."

"In what sense?" teased Relena as she began to gather up the fallen assortments of paper streamers, noisemakers, and cardboard party hats, "In the sense that my mom hasn't yelled at me yet." Relena finally finished picking up the party favors, with help from Heero and asked, "So, you're here for the party?" she waved a party hat in his face. He grinned, exposing his more pointed canines, "Actually… I did come here for a party…" he winked. Relena turned red before giggling, "Whatever counselor you had to get over your 'Perfect Soldier' attitude, I've got to meet." He shrugged, "No counselors are going to come an inch near me. I don't need anyone prying into my life."

"Whoa, calm down! I didn't mean anything…" she nodded her head in the direction of the house. "Now, you coming in?" He shrugged. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on." She led the way down the last few steps and into the house. The first thing they were met with was a suspicious stare from Milliardo Peacecraft. Both he and Heero were **still** not satisfied with the battle that they had started. They both wanted an ending, but thanks to Relena, all mobile suit production was completely terminated throughout the Earth and the Colonies… when she'd still been Vice Foreign Minister that is. Of course, that hadn't stopped the desire to be known as strongest for Milliardo. And Heero… well… he just disliked the older man, even though both of them had a grudging respect for the other. "What's he doing here?" he asked, not even bothering to be civil like usual. "He's here because he wants to be. Now, Brother, help me out here… my arms are going numb." Milliardo retrieved the party favors from his sister's arms and placed them to the side. "Gabe's friends are here already… get any closer to the dining hall and you'll hear a very loud, very off-key rendition of 'Happy Birthday'." He winced rubbing his ears that were still ringing as he'd stood there, cutting the cake for his son.

Relena smiled, "When the little kids are gone, we're going to have the big kid party." She informed Heero as she led him towards the dining hall, despite Milliardo's warnings. Thankfully, they'd reached the last "HAPPY BIIIIIIIIIIIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" before thunderous clapping. Relena appeared, just in time to see a small shape hurtle into her dress and she looked down at the little boy hugging her legs. "Aunt Lena! You actually came!"

"Of course! Why would I miss your birthday?" he grinned before running back to his seat, clambering up onto the high chair. Relena smiled as he waved at her frantically to come and sit beside him, which she did, looking once at Heero to see if he wanted to come. He didn't mind. Soon he found himself sitting next to Relena as Gabriel and his friends began eating the chocolate cake. Heero spent most of his time watching Relena, watching her laugh as she wiped away bits of stray cake that had wandered to Gabriel's forehead and cheeks, watching her eyes twinkle as she watched in silent amusement. He twisted his ring of wood with embedded onyx causing Relena to look at the ring. "Wow, that's beautiful… where'd you get it?" he shrugged, "Somewhere along the years… it's like a charm."

She winked slyly, "For what?"

"Not what you're thinking of." She gave him an innocent look, "Oh, was I thinking of something bad?" she asked smirking. He smiled and when he spoke, his voice was husky. "Do you really want me to find out?" he asked in his low voice. Relena turned red and she coughed embarrassed before a flying wad of cake caught her attention. "Hey now, no food fights!"

"Hey Lena." She whirled to face Duo's smirking face and she hugged him and Hilde hard. "You guys are here!"

"Hell yeah, where else would we be?"

"UNCWLE DUO!!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Gabriel as he hurtled at the startled young man who emitted an "OOF!" as he caught the little boy. "UNCWLE DUO! YOU CAME TO MY BIWFDAY!" Duo laughed lifting up the child, "I sure did kid. What could keep me away." Gabriel looked thoughtful. "Gwenlins!" Hilde smiled, "Gremlins couldn't keep us away from your birthday kid." He pouted, "I's a gwonup!"

"Sure thing." She grinned at the little kid as Duo set him down. "We've got to borrow Lena and Heero okay?" Gabriel pouted by nodded. "What about pwesents?"

"Wait for me, okay?" asked Relena as she stood up, Heero along with her. "Let's get moving." She finally sighed as she walked out of the dining hall. Duo grinned at her, one of his more pointed canines glinting in the sunlight from a nearby window. "Saved you there didn't we?" Relena shrugged, "I dunno… the kid's fun to be around."

Duo shook his head, looking deeply disappointed. "No offense about the kid but you need a new meaning of fun." Relena grinned, "You wanna know a new way of fun? Here, I'll show you something." she winked at Hilde who managed to stifle a giggle as Relena removed the sweatshirt she was wearing to reveal her wearing a black halter. She turned so her back was facing both Duo and Heero. There were two angel wings tattooed onto her shoulder blades. She grinned pulling up the bottom of the shirt higher a little to show a small Chinese dragon holding a pearl in its claw at the small of her back. She turned around to face the shocked looks on both Duo and Heero's faces. "What? Don't think I can get a tattoo?"

"All she needs now is a halo." Remarked Hilde as she handed Relena her sweatshirt again which she replaced quickly. "Milliardo still doesn't know about it."

"Brother doesn't know about a lot of things. He freaked when he saw I had three piercings in my ear!"

"A punk Relena… never saw that one coming." Duo remarked as he stealthily double-checked his own girlfriend's ears for more than one piercing in them. 

Relena shrugged, "I don't know… I wanted a change. Maybe it's not so 'political'ish but… I just wanted a change." Duo was silent. Hilde was silent as she couldn't think of anything else to say when Duo was silent. Heero… spoke! "I have one too." He pushed his hair back from his ear to show the silver hoop. 

Relena's eyes glowed (not literally) as she pounced on him to see it, and she admired it grinning, "Wicked!" 

Duo sighed. "Great. Suddenly, I don't feel special anymore." Hilde squeaked in surprise, "YOU HAVE AN EARRING?!" Duo revealed the stud in his own ear. "Yeah." 

Relena grinned again, "Great! Then you'll all fit in when we take you to the club tonight!"

"Club? Who said anything about a club?" Duo protested.

Heero looked at her confused, "I thought you had a party here…"

"Which ends at 9." She grinned, "So we can 'party down' for however long we want! We're grown up enough don't you think?" Both Heero and Duo looked at each other, laughter gone. "Um… uh well…"

"Duo?"

"Heero?"

Their eyes. That was why, they couldn't let the girls see. "We're going to be… wearing sunglasses!"

"…At night?"

"Yeah."

"Um… why?" asked both Relena and Hilde at the same time. "Because… uh… because…" Relena saw the shifty-eyed look in Heero's eyes that usually meant that he was ready to bolt. "Oh never mind… do your… guy thing and we'll do our 'taking an hour to get dressed' girl thing." The boys groaned. "We want to look our best after all… and so do you two."

It was just about time for the presents and Gabriel's friends were already crowding around the table as Gabriel began opening his presents. Relena and the others were there of course, watching as his face grew brighter with delight as he opened the packages and boxes. "Wow!" "Pwetty!" "Can I pway with it…?" Afterwards, when the kids left, Gabriel had another party… with more family members and "gwonup fwends" attending. By then, Gabriel was already exhausted and he fell asleep at the dinner table, effectively bringing the discussion at the table to an end. And just about time, Relena was holding back yawns at the extremely boring topic of "…it was like more than 24 carats! And then like…" blah, blah, blah. She could tell that all four of them (you know who they are) were completely itching to get away. Well it ended and they got up. "Well… we'll be going out for a while, 'kay?" Milliardo raised an eyebrow but a stomp of Noin's army boot (she still insisted on wearing them) was enough to keep him from speaking.

Relena and Hilde immediately split for Relena's room where they found enough clothes (that they actually wanted to wear, thank god) to change into for the both of them. Relena in a black tank and black leather jeans that hugged her hips and slim thighs and flared out at her calves along with black platform sandals. She, with Hilde's help, highlighted the last three inches of her hair a silver color that contrasted to its natural gold. It would wash out when they got back home. Hilde was wearing a black one-shoulder tank and a silver miniskirt equipped with boots that went up almost to her knees. ('Hooker' boots are what they're known as at my school.) Make-up applied and then they were set.

They walked out of the house without anyone else noticing… except for Noin who winked at Relena turning Milliardo's head away from them so he wouldn't blow a fuse seeing them. "Have fun!" she mouthed to Relena winking. Relena smiled before they slipped through the door and outside. "My car." Heero said as they walked to the car far enough so that Milliardo couldn't see them. Relena was giggling under her breath. And shivering. She'd worn only a thin white jacket, that, while puffy, wasn't warm. She gasped when she felt Heero pull her against him, his arm around her shoulders. "Better?" she grinned. "A lot." 

He was wearing his sunglasses, but he could still see better than she could. She could tell… probably because he was the one helping her over the gnarled roots of the old oak trees where her boots caught on, despite her careful footing. They got into the car, comfortably situated themselves with Heero in the driver's seat, Relena riding shotgun, with Hilde and Duo sprawled against the backseats of the black BMW. Heero switched on the radio and the old song, Heaven, as a remix was playing. As the words, _"…when you're lying here in my arms. I find it hard to believe, we're in heaven…" _Relena shivered, imagining herself in Heero's arms, miles away from anyone (that included her, yes wonderful, but a little overprotective) brother… that would be heaven.

__

Why would you love a Nightwalker? Would it be Hell rather than Heaven?

Relena's head jerked up, slamming the back of her head against the headrest with a sharp intake of breath making all in the car stop talking and stare at her. "What's wrong?" asked Heero concerned. She turned to him. His sunglasses were still on. "It's nothing… just… a little… scared…?" she said trying to explain the mixed up feeling. But by the set of Heero's jaw, she could tell he knew she wasn't telling the entire truth. Since both Hilde and Duo were a bit… tongue-tied they didn't notice when Heero reached over to take her hand. "Don't be scared." He said softly, squeezing her hand gently. She smiled faintly, turning her head to look out the window at the moon. The clouds barely shadowed half of it, so the moonlight was dark. Her hand unconsciously tightened on Heero's and she bit her lip. _What was that voice? That voice in my head? Did it just say **HEERO** is a… 'Nightwalker'?_ She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Oh, turn here." She said as she pointed to the flashing lights of the club. Duo and Hilde stopped playing tonsil-hockey and began rearranging their clothes with Heero and Relena looking as little as possible into the rearview mirror as they could, while still being able to park.

As soon as they walked in the doors, flashed their ID's, and walked in towards the actual club, heads turned, male and female. Relena flung off her jacket and flinging it on a chair at the table Duo and Hilde were sitting at, she grabbed Heero's arm and dragged him towards the dance floor. A fast song was playing and as Relena and Heero danced their way among the couples already on the dance floor, others began staring. One of them completely spoiled the moment, saying, "Isn't that the former Vice Foreign Minister?" The last thing she needed was to be reminded of that job. "Yeah, I was. But I'm not anymore and I don't need you whispering about it when I'm trying to enjoy myself."

One of the drunken guys at the bar got up unsteadily, wavering on his feet. "With who? Is he part of your personal harem, Queen Elizabeth?" Relena resisted the urge to deck him. "It's just RELENA now." She said between clenched teeth. A girl behind him began squealing in a high-pitched voice. "You just gave up on us! You wanted us all to suffer!" Relena smirked and she lifted her hand to the girl's plunging neckline and grabbed something out of it. The girl shrieked as everyone turned to look. Relena flashed the two hundred-dollar bills to the audience. "I wouldn't say you're suffering, Miss… on the contrary if you use cash to stuff your bra instead of toilet paper…" Several people sitting at a table began cat-calling and cheering for the ex-Vice Foreign Minister/Queen. "You GO girl!" one of the more outspoken females yelled. The girl facing off against Relena was turning red with fury, not to mention more than a little embarrassment. "Why you…" she growled raising a hand to slap her across the face. Heero grabbed her before she could even move and flung her away. "Hey, none of that…" he growled, removing his shades so he could look her full in the face. The girl's mouth opened and closed much like a fish out of water as she gaped at him and his dead sexy, if angry, look. The silver flecks that'd appeared in them were more than a little alluring when contrasting with their dark blue color. "Whoa…" she managed to say as he let go of her and took Relena's hand, leading her towards Duo and Hilde, who'd been rooting for their friend in the sidelines.

Heero was furious, though he showed it minimally… getting worked up wouldn't do anything for anyone. "And this happens a lot?" he asked Relena. "Hmph. Yeah, that happens. People don't forget." She collapsed into her chair and Hilde lay a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, screw that girl 'kay? Nothing's gonna mess with our night out… especially with your lover here." (She pronounced it lov-uh… I can't pronounce my "r's" that well, and other ppl like the way I talk. **I** like the way I talk.) Relena turned crimson, and both Heero and Duo looked at the blood rushing to her face, trying to will away the fact that their canines were beginning to unsheathe themselves at the sight. Relena looked at them curiously as they grabbed their sunglasses, slipping them on again to hide the silver color their eyes became as their power started to weaken with the loss of willpower. Hilde shrugged, and mouthed, "Men." Duo shook his head, putting an arm around her shoulders, "This happens babe, when we want to make you believe we're even sexier than we are." Hilde grinned, "And since when were you ever sexy?" she asked teasingly which resulted in a loud, "HEY!" from the insulted Duo.

Relena smiled, shaking her head slowly as she watched the two lovers banter. Heero hesitantly removed his sunglasses and stuck them back into his pocket as he took in the former Queen of the World. As beautiful as she had been when he'd first met her, she'd seemed so… adult. _I guess now's her time to take back the time she still wants… like all of us who've been affected by the wars._ Now, she looked young again, she was acting like she should at her age. He frowned. She was acting like she knew something…

~*~*~*~

A young woman looked around nervously in the dark. It was too late to be walking out all alone at this time of night, she knew. She whirled at the sight of a shadow, darker than the night's normal darkness. "W-who's there?!" she stuttered, trying to sound brave as she looked around uncertainly. A young man appeared, wearing a dark black trench coat. "No one but I." he replied as he stood underneath a streetlight so she could see him semi-clearly. He was Chinese, she could make out that much. "What are you doing out here at this time of night?" she asked as she looked around for any other friends of his. "I should be asking the same question to you."

"I was out at dinner party and had to stay behind to help out, but my car was towed away when I came out."

The young man smiled wryly. "Dinner…" he repeated under his breath. The young woman smiled kindly, "Are you hungry then?" she asked innocently. The young man looked up at her suddenly, his eyes no longer black, but cat-like and silver. "Yes…" She gasped and backed up a step. "What happened to your eyes?!" she asked, becoming frightened as he began to walk towards her. "Nothing… forgive me for this…" he whispered as he leaped at her, his fangs unsheathing and burying themselves in her jugular. Her eyes fluttered closed as the vampire fed. He jerked away suddenly, having taken only a little. Bloodlust urged him to continue, to drink his fill, but he fought it, and he carried her to the door of the restaurant she'd exited. The owner was just coming out and as he saw the woman, he hurriedly got her back inside. He never noticed the two, already disappearing marks on the woman's neck. And he didn't notice when the young man melted back into the shadows.

Another young woman watched him from the shadows, and her eyes glistened with an inhuman, silver color. She smiled, revealing the pointed fangs to nothing more than the silver-gray cat that accompanied her. The woman's dark-blonde hair was coiled into two… pigtails for a lack of a better word. "Come on Amber, we're going to arrange a little chat with our guest." The cat sighed, and in a very human, female voice, said softly, "Sally, you're still stuck on him." the woman whirled on the cat, "No I'm not. I stopped loving him the moment he died." She replied coldly before turning back to watch him disappear into the shadows. She quickly melted away as well, Amber following her. Her eyes glowed a bright amber color as she followed the female vampire, notifying where she was. Sally knew where he lived, and she slipped in the window, Amber leaping in behind her. She settled herself in a slightly overstuffed armchair and waited in the dark for the appearance of the new kid in the neighborhood.

Wufei entered his apartment, flinging his keys to the left where he knew it'd hit the mirror and drop down to the dresser. Just as he did, he tensed. He felt his fangs unsheathe as he felt someone else's presence in the room. "Who's there?" he growled, his fangs creating an accent on his voice. A light flared on in the living room and he walked towards it slowly, wary of what he'd see. What he saw made him gasp. "You!" Sally grinned, revealing her extremely long canines. "Hello Wufei." She said in the same accent, due to her fangs. "You're…"

"One of you? Quite." The cat curled on the armrest of the chair leaped off, landing on the ground. Wufei eyed it for a moment. Sally gestured to it. "Come on, introduce yourself." The cat looked up at Sally and made a catlike version of a shrug. She seemed to stretch and as she did, her fur disappeared instantly and what was left was a human girl, dressed in non-metallic silver. She stood up and reached out her hand to the shocked Wufei, "My name is Amber. I am Sally's friend." Wufei looked at the girl's hand but didn't make a move to shake it. She withdrew it stiffly, "Fine then." And she phased back into a silver cat, "I'll be on the roof when you need me Sally." She said as she leaped out the window.

The atmosphere in the room became even more intense. "So… it's been awhile Wufei."

"I suppose." Sally got out of the chair and stepping towards him. "How've you been?"

"As well as circumstances allow." Sally sighed, "You're still as formal as you always were. Even when you're dead." Wufei's face knotted in suppressed anger, "And it was of no fault of mine!" he yelled at her. She didn't seem surprised at his outburst. "Neither was it a fault of mine when I was killed and became like this!" she countered tracing a fang with her index finger. Wufei amazingly stopped ranting. "How… how did it happen for you?"

Sally looked disgusted, "I was bitten by a vampire when on a mission for the Preventers. He… attacked me, and I don't know why but he brought me back. Probably to taunt me, saying I couldn't kill my sire. I'm disgusted I couldn't finish him off. Probably because he just surprised me. I didn't kill him, Une did for me."

"Une's a vampire?!"

"Her? No. She's just got really good aim with silver bullets." Wufei shuddered as he imagined the immense pain it must have caused. Sally smiled a little sadly, "And I know why you were changed." Wufei's head jerked up to face her, "You… you know?!" she nodded, "And I know that Vlad's still around." Wufei felt like punching something, wishing he could do something about that guy. He couldn't kill his sire as much as he wanted to. Sally slumped onto the long sofa, groaning. "Make yourself at home." muttered Wufei sarcastically. "Thank you. I think I will." She replied ignoring the sarcasm settling herself in a comfortable position. "You haven't been to Headquarters for a while you know… something wrong?" Wufei shook his head, "I just don't go often, I don't need to." Sally raised an eyebrow. "Or are you ignoring someone?" she asked him softly. Wufei sighed, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "Anyone still human."

"Well—" a frightened yowl came from outside Wufei's open window and Sally jumped up looking out of it. All she could see was a human form of Amber fly down past her face yelling, "Come on! They're coming!" Sally shrieked and ducked under the window, slamming it shut as silver blades began to rain down. "It's the Hunters! They're coming!" she yelled at Wufei who'd jumped to his feet. "The Hunters?"

"They're a group of demon hunters. We've got to get out of here!" she yelled as she ran for the door before noticing he hadn't moved. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's the difference between already being dead and being killed again?" Sally looked enraged and her eyes sparked silver fire. "The difference is that you've been given another chance you fool! Don't lose that chance!"

Wufei could hear them pounding down the staircases just above them, and knew they didn't have a lot of time to get out. Then why the hell was Sally still standing there waiting for him?! He moved slowly towards the door before Sally literally grabbed his hand, and ran towards the window, shoving it open. The silver blades were still being thrown downwards, less now, since the others were coming. "I hope you're good at jumping…" muttered Sally as she leaped out first, past the blades of the deadly silver. She managed to dodge most of them, but the others made several cuts that, while painful, weren't life threatening. (Yeah, yeah, I know she's technically dead, your point?) She growled in annoyance at having found out her pant leg had been torn at the thigh. _And these were new!_ Wufei was at her side the next moment, nearly unscathed like herself. Amber appeared, at the side of the building, scrabbling to claw her way up. Even in human form, she could use her claws to climb anything and her agility was equal to a vampire's. "Ready?" she asked Sally who nodded. Sally looked over at Wufei, "Get ready to jump for it. We're heading over to my place." Wufei was about to protest, but she grabbed his arm and leaped off the roof and onto another one and then another one in turn. "Come on! Hurry!" she yelled over to him as she increased her speed. He could sense the Hunters coming even closer. "Can't we stop them? We have authorization since we're in the Preventers organization."

Sally looked grim, "They can't know there are vampires in the Preventers." Amber was the one who explained, "They'd infiltrate us for sure, and we'd never know, not with their 'cloaking' spells." Wufei looked at the shapeshifter with an expression of veiled curiosity, "You're part of the Preventers?" Amber nodded, "Secret Services division…" she said between her teeth as she landed with a scratching of claws on plaster. Sally pulled something from her pocket and pressed a button on it. A sudden opening in the roof appeared and she jumped in, Amber following her. Wufei sighed, muttering "I think I'm going to regret this…" as he followed the two of the just as the Hunters passed overhead and the opening closed itself. He landed on something soft. Extremely soft. And it was moving. "Mmf mf mf MMMFFFFF!" came the muffled yelling from under him. He looked beneath him to see the glaring eyes of a ruffled Sally Po. Before he noticed Amber's claws beginning to unsheathe as she struggled to get up. He hurriedly got up to escape those extremely sharp pointed things attached to the girl's hands and with all his usual formality, helped both of them up. Sally sighed, dropping onto the couch of her 'hideout' for lack of a better term, looking extremely worn out and tired. "This is just great, I want to go and talk to an old 'friend' and all Hell breaks loose." Amber smirked as she walked back in sight holding the first-aid kit. "Better than meeting your worst enemy." Sally didn't move from the couch but she lifted her hand to point at Amber, to deign her attendance to that wonderful statement. "True."

Wufei was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, much the way all the ex-gundam pilots would always stand. (K: Perhaps minus the braid-boy.) "Who are these Hunters anyway?" he asked as he looked overhead at the sealed opening. Amber sighed as she tended to Sally's wounds before her own. She gestured for Wufei to come over as well, but he shook his head. "They're not important." Sally rolled her eyes, "Like I said, you haven't changed a bit."

"I can say the same for you." He said as she got up and physically hauled him over to the couch where Amber quickly and efficiently fixed him up as neatly as a Christmas package. Sally was looking at a monitor, installed by Une's crew to help keep Sally and Amber safe. Not only the Preventers wanted soldiers with intensified strength and stamina and whoever the enemy was, would want such powers as they possessed. "The Hunters are prowling the North entrance… our shielding cloak should hide the entrance so we're safe."

"Why would the Hunters be targeting you? I felt the presence of other vampires in this place."

"Quite true, but the fact is that Amber here has something that they desperately want… and desire." Amber lifted a pendant off her neck and let it dangle from her hand. It was quite beautiful, but, "It's only a stone." Amber's eyes flashed anger. "It is not 'only a stone'! Look inside it!" she hissed holding it up to his eyes. As he looked, he seemed to see a golden fire flickering inside the clear stone, changing from gold, to red, to blue… "It's a Fire Stone."

"And what does it do?"

"It would give the Hunters the power to become human again. And if that should happen, our only weapon would be gone."

"What weapon?" asked Wufei, thoroughly confused. He knew that Demon Hunters were not human, anyone knew that. They came out only at night and were like demons themselves. They did nothing but want to destroy non-humans for more power, so they could thrive on the darkness themselves. They hid beneath their long cloaks, their faces said to be once beautiful, but were now withered into nothing but skin hanging on their bones.

"The light. This stone was what enabled the vampires, the shapeshifters, the sirens and valkyries… all of them to walk by day. If the Demon Hunters should take this stone, then they could stand the fire of the light, any light, not just the sun. We would have no protection. Not to mention they would soon attack the humans when they grow even more power-hungry." Amber slipped the pendant back underneath the cloth of her shirt. "My grandmother was a priestess in the Temple of Light. When the evils began to attack, my grandmother took it and hid it. She shared the power with those who would not seek for power, in this case the vampires. But the Hunters soon found out and we've been pursued for what seems like forever.

Wufei looked stupefied. "You mean to say that, that little thing holds the balance of darkness and light?" Amber nodded, serious. "That 'little thing' is one of the reasons you're still alive… er, undead anyway." 

Wufei growled, "Then what's the use of it? Vampires kill humans, they make them into something that they are themselves. Vlad made **me** one and there's not one speck of light in him. What was the use in letting vampires remain?!" Sally almost wanted to sock him in the jaw for what he was saying. "Well at least you weren't raped as well…" she whispered. Amber whirled on her friend, amazed that she would reveal… **that**. Amber herself had found her and Une together after that bastard vampire had been dusted… and after seeing Sally that night. She shuddered, remembering.

She'd been screaming for help, even as that… THING tore at her, even as her voice grew fainter as he drank of her blood. She'd tried to fight him when he'd given his own blood to her. He'd been taunting her, saying that she couldn't kill him anymore… Amber had arrived moments before Une, attacking the guy even though she'd never known who Sally was then. For such a vampire as he, he was incredibly strong. She couldn't understand it, even now, how he could have torn her from him and flung her into a brick wall just as Une fired, killing him a second time.

"What?!" exclaimed Wufei as he rushed to her, gliding in the sort of way only a vampire could. Sally looked away, holding her neck where the two scars remained. Once a vampire has changed blood, the marks remain. "That little idiot used his extra strength to do more than just to kill me…" Sally said bitterly, curling up onto the sofa, turning her back to Wufei. Amber looked at Wufei, who made no move to say anything and sighed. She moved closer to her friend hugging her tightly. It wasn't very often you see Sally Po, the indomitable one, the always semi-sarcastic one, the calm one, cry. If you'd never seen her do it before, you'd never have believed she could. Wufei was actually struck dumb as he watched her sob into her friend's shoulder. Amber looked over at Wufei and slowly pulled down the back of Sally's jacket until he could see her bare shoulders, (she'd been wearing a tank top) and he could see faint claw marks all over her back. He barely held in a gasp of horror as the jacket was replaced slowly and carefully so the wearer wouldn't notice. It was a while before Sally's choked sobs quieted and she just leaned her head against her friend's shoulder. Wufei didn't even try to make a comment that crying and self-pity were only for the weak. Because, he'd learned enough to know that wasn't true, and it especially wasn't true about **her**…

~*~*~*~

"Trowa? Trowa! Where are you?" a loud voice called as she walked into the night that surrounded the lit circus tent. The auburn-haired woman was searching for the young man that was her brother. "Damn it, Trowa Barton, or Triton Bloom, whatever you choose to call yourself, get back here now before you end up dead a **second** time!"

"There was really no need to shout." A shadow dropped beside her, almost startling her out of her wits. "You know… one of these days I'll have to inform you that we **do** have stairs to the roof."

"I'm grown up, sis. I can even feed the lions all by myself now." She had to laugh. Only Trowa could manage to tell that joke and still pull off the serious look. "You always could. The big cats adore you." The boy shrugged before Cathrine returned to the task at hand. "Come on you little boy, let's get you back inside before anyone recognizes you as a vampire." Trowa gritted his teeth in a sudden show of anger and Cathrine involuntarily stepped backward. The boy was instantly contrite, repentant of scaring his sister. "I'm sorry… it's just, I hate hiding. I've always hated it. And now these Hunters are coming around…" Cathrine nodded. "That's why you're staying inside where I can keep an eye on you!"

"And do what if they come in?"

"I'll… I'll… hmm, let's say I won't enjoy the obvious task of cleaning up all the ashes." Cathrine was a half daemon, due to blood transfusion with a gentle Valkyrie who'd found her attacked by several demons and saved her. Trowa had been hitting himself that he couldn't have been there for his sister but Cathrine merely shook her head. She'd been horribly wounded that time and the Valkyrie had saved her life, knowing full well what a hospital would have meant in the times of war.

Aoi had been a friend of the two for a long time now. The warrior Valkyrie sometimes came over from her post guarding Heaven and visited the siblings at their travelling circus. When she did, she blended in perfectly with her ancient looking (in a good way of course) armor and broadsword… at least when she went to see them at the circus, she usually went along with the story of the substitute fencing act. Although, there never was such an act in existence on the program. So, along with her skills with the dagger throwing, she had in inborn knack for sword fighting, strange as it may be. She said jokingly that it was in her blood. Technically she was correct.

"Tsk, tsk you two. You shouldn't be out at night. You might get hurt…" a voice said behind them causing Cathrine to whirl around and face the darkened shadow behind her. "Who is it?!" she almost yelled while Trowa took one look and calmed down. "It's only Dorothy and Quatre." The two blondes appeared in the light of the siblings' trailer and Dorothy smiled while Quatre looked repentant. "So, you fang-boy and you little halfling are wandering out at night when the Hunters are out?"

"Hypocrite." Teased a smiling Cathrine as she set a pot of tea on the stove, greatly helped by Quatre who'd done this task many times. "At least **I** am a full-blood." replied Dorothy archly as sat beside Trowa on the two-seater couch. "Yeah, after swapping blood with my **brother** of all people!"

Trowa winced, "That sounded almost insulting, Cathy." Cathrine grinned, "Well, it's true isn't it?" he knew she hadn't meant it. Dorothy shrugged, "So? I'm perfectly content with what I am now."

"Yeah, what are you going to swap next? I mean, **other** than each other's saliva… that's already been ticked off the checklist." Dorothy grimaced at the way Cathy had put it, "That was harsh, Cath." She said in her soft voice, which nonetheless always had a harsh edge to it no matter what. The red-head looked unrepentant and shrugged smirking at the blonde, "And you, Miss Ice Queen are perfectly capable of handling sarcasm." Dorothy gave her a frigid look, which Cathy immediately melted by shoving a cup of tea towards her friend. The blonde accepted and sipped as she leaned back against the couch… (and as soon as Trowa came and sat beside her) against her boyfriend as well.

Cathy grinned as Quatre handed her a cup of tea, sitting beside her opposite her brother and the blonde. It had taken a lot of work to remain friends with Dorothy after she'd set her sights on Quatre to be her soulmate. It had only been when Trowa became a vampire that Dorothy had finally stopped chasing after Quatre and became a real friend to Trowa, a friend, then a lover.

"What's happening with the others now, huh? They haven't come round the circus grounds often anymore…" Cathy asked they that were more involved with the Preventers. "Everything's going fine…"

"Except in Heaven." A new voice said from the doorway of the trailer and Dorothy, closest to the door whirled around, her hair whipping into Trowa's face as her nails extended into claw-like talons ready to attack. It turned out to be a young, brown-haired woman with bemused blue eyes even as her hand had readied itself on the hilt of her broadsword. She was dressed in that of an old-age warrior with shining silver-blue metal armor. "Can I not even visit my blood-sister without being attacked by a vampire?" she asked holding up her hands in mock deference. Dorothy relaxed and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, we just met up with a rather… uncompromising lone Hunter on our way here… the senses are working overtime." 

The Valkyrie grinned wearily, "I am not surprised. Everyone in Heaven is beginning to become even more worried. Work is getting harder with the longer hours guarding the entrances… the Hunters are beginning to move towards Heaven as well." All present looked horrified at the blue-eyed Valkyrie. "You can't be serious!"

"Would I jest about something with something as important such as this?"

Cathrine looked worried, "So… they might begin attacking?"

"They're already starting."

"Then you're here because…" 

The Valkyrie nodded. "I come to ask you for your help Blood-sister. Will you and your friends aid us in a battle against the Hunters?" Cathrine got up, "You didn't even have to ask… of course I'd help you!" The Valkyrie sighed in relief, "I almost thought you would not. Not many have… they're either too frightened of the Hunters or too into themselves that they cannot think of anything else but to feed." She sat down on a couch opposite Cathrine. "We are already trying to find the Holder of the Fire Stone."

"The Holder? She's missing?" The Valkyrie nodded leaning back. "We have been searching for her since the threat of the Hunters began growing. We went to the Temple, but it was missing from there and one of the old priestesses told us that one of them had taken the Stone into hiding. We at first thought that she might have fallen into the enemies' hands, but then when none attacked during the day, we decided that we had to look for her at every cost. But the world is large and one person, even a woman that sheds such a light is hard to find."

"So… you need our help, how?"

"We need to find that girl, and we need to find her before the Hunters do."

"Is there going to be a war, Miss Aoi?" asked an interested Dorothy.

The Valkyrie eyed the war-loving vampire with an appraising eye. "Nightwalker, you have no idea…" (K: For of course that is what is all creatures of night are called.)

Cathrine eyed Quatre warily knowing very well what the Arabian-turned-vampire still thought about war. He abhorred it. But the gleam of interest in Quatre's eye was definitely there. "If it'll help a Blood-Sister of Cathrine." The girl's face reddened to a shade darker than her red-brown hair. Trowa nodded, "I'm not letting Cath walk all alone into a war against Hunters."

Dorothy gave him a mock glare, "What about me, you tongue-tied clown?"

"You don't even need protection, you're fine wherever you are… but I'm going to be there for you too." Dorothy nodded curtly, "You'd **better**."

Aoi smiled. "Very well, I shall report this back to the Heaven-net system and will return soon." She slipped out the door swiftly and the four of them were left, wondering what they'd just gotten themselves into.


	3. 

Chapter Two

__

We slipped past the guard quickly and silently like shadows, staying close to the walls, never making a sound. I am last to watch over the rest of them, and doing so, just as the guard turning, I reached over quickly, snapping the man's neck before he could scream for help, bringing the entire place to life. He slumped lifeless in my arms and I dropped him disgusted, they were so easy to kill, pathetic humans. We entered the wide doors of the temple, silently. But someone found us. "STOP!" someone yelled from behind us. We all whirled, my weapon already unsheathing as we saw the middle-aged priestess in the ancient costume of the temple, holding a torch. The light of that blasted thing stung my eyes so harshly that I had to pull the hood of my cloak lower towards my eyes. That light kills the eyes by just looking at it. Damn that blasted flame, if not for that, we would already have conquered the Nightwalkers by now!

"Get away from this place!" The woman is shrieking now. She is afraid. Most afraid of our weapons, the weapons we've already drawn on her, despite the blinding of the hated Fire. She is calling for help and already more are coming. This is not good, we came here to get the treasure only, now, they are forcing us to bring a massacre upon them. Very well, they have chosen. "Kill them!" I order as we come to life, springing on the priestess, grabbing that torch from her hand and shoving the flame towards her abdomen, extinguishing the red light with her body. She screams. Good. I watch as the rest of them kill her quickly and efficiently. We have to move quickly now. They are coming even more quickly. We already have to fight for every step forward.

I run towards the pedestal… it's there, that light, that stone… if we just have that, all will be right… As my hand reaches out to snatch it and hold it high in victory, a young child, another priestess dashes in front of me, leaping towards it, her silver hair flying behind her. She grabs it, that little child, how dare she! "GET HER! GET THAT STONE!" I yell to the rest of my people as I rush at that girl. How dare she take what is meant to be mine! "Give it to me little child!" I yell at her, cornering her against a wall. Before my eyes, the girl's nails elongate into claws and slash at my face. My cloak is torn, I am unharmed… but I am very, very angry. She ducks under my arms and runs past me, outside, towards the night… I run after her.

A crackle of energy hits me and I fall to my knees. Another ward snaps into place as I try to force my way through. Their Flame wards are too powerful I cannot get out. That girl is still running… I'll get that girl. I need that stone! COME BACK GIRL! GIVE ME THAT STONE! Through Heaven and Hell I'll get that stone from that damned child. I'll tear her limb from limb, and rip her still-beating heart out. She will pay for this suffering. The priests and priestesses are closing in. I can't escape… I won't ever stop hunting for it. None of us will. We will never stop hunting for that girl. For all Nightwalkers… for the power.

Relena's eyes snapped open, finding herself in the familiar surroundings of her room. Her body was drenched in a cold sweat and her skin was clammy. With her heart pounding she looked around herself nervously, as if suspecting the people of the shadows from her dream to appear around her room. What had been familiar was now alien to her. She reached over quickly and switched on the lamp. The light bathed her room in a warm yellow light, but she had to blink several times, her eyes searing from the light that she had to look away into the comfort of the darkness. "Is… is anyone here?" she whispered, curling her legs up towards her and backing up towards the headboard. She was torn between turning out the light and back into the fear, or leaving it on and continue the painful torture of the golden needles. She chose darkness, cowering under the blankets, trying to think rationally. She was an adult, she'd been able to face a guy with a gun and the business end aimed at her (multiple times too), and she could handle a stupid nightmare.

Still, she couldn't help shivering every time her piqued ears heard a creak on the hardwood floor as if someone had stepped on it. A knock suddenly sounded on the door and she let out a muffled shriek. At her slight sound the door opened and the rectangle of bright light hit her square in the face. She shrieked in agony as it seemed to burn into her eyes… much like the pain she'd thought she'd experienced in the dream. "Lena? Are you all right? Lena?! Lena!" the male voice was above her now as she'd dove under the blankets. "Lena, what's wrong?!"

"Turn out the light!" she shrieked from underneath, in the warm fabric of the sheets, heated from the warmth of her body. The steps retreated and the door closed before the footsteps came back. "Better now?" she finally came out from under the sheets, throwing herself at her brother. He was shocked obviously that she was so afraid that she was shivering. "What happened? Did someone come in?! I'll—" She shook her head. "No, no one came in… I'm just… scared." The platinum-haired man had learned a lot more experience with terrified children (thanks to Gabriel) hugged his admittedly-older-than-a-child sister and asked softly. "Then, why are you so scared?"

"I… I don't know… it's silly, really, I just had a bad dream… nothing's wrong…" she pulled away and finally said. "You can go back to sleep now, Brother… I'm sorry I bothered you."

"You know you're no bother."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight… I suppose." He walked away, turning just in time to catch her silhouette dive under her pillow as he opened the door and the light poured in. He closed it quickly behind him, wondering what was wrong. He turned around to face his son. "Gabe? Gabe, what are you doing here?"

"Is somefing wrong with Aunt Lena?" he asked worriedly. His baby-blue eyes looking up at his dad looking like they were about to tear up. "No, she just had a bad dream. And you'd better get back to bed soon." He picked up the little boy in his arms and carried him back to his room, tucking him in tightly. The little boy smiled softly as his eyes closed. His father looked down at him for a moment before he turned and walked out of the room. Gabriel's small fingers curled around a ring of wood and onyx. It was a nice ring… he liked it. And it had been Uncle Duo's. That made it even nicer. Aunt Relena had given him such a nice present…

~*~*~*~

"OW!" yelled the brown-haired young man as he felt his skin burning like fire. His eyes wrenched open to see the sunlight falling on his hand. He snatched it away from the sunlight and blew on it, to see a red mark appearing already. A few more seconds and his hand would have been on fire already. _What the hell?! How could that happen… _His eyes turned to his hand where his ring was wondering what was wrong. Or at least, where the ring **should** have been. _Oh god no…_

Hilde was downstairs already beginning breakfast. Humming to herself she was just taking the plates out of the cupboard when Duo's frantic. "**SHIT!**" rang through their small house. The plates shattered as she dropped them in surprise before she ran upstairs without stopping wondering what the hell was wrong. She found as frenzied Duo practically tearing the room apart searching for something, swearing like a demon. "Damn it! Where the hell could it have GONE?!" he was yelling, his yet-unbraided hair falling over his shoulders. Hilde looked amazed at him. "What are you talking about?"

"My **RING**!" he yelled back, throwing something that appeared to be a magazine with the model on the cover ripping open her blouse. Hmm, apparently he hadn't gotten rid of those things when she'd told him to. But after being momentarily side-tracked by the magazine, she was brought back to attention when Duo kicked the bed in frustration. (And I'll let you know that vampires can kick very hard.) A dent appeared in the wood frame of the double bed and she gaped at his… fear? "I CAN'T FIND IT!" he yelled slumping back onto the bed. Hilde looked wonderingly at him. He'd always been worried about that ring… what was so special about it? "Hey, calm down! Let's go for a walk and go out for breakfast instead of staying here at home, okay?" she asked trying to take his mind off it. But, as we all know, that brought only another problem onto Duo's shoulders. "You know what Baby? I **would** like some food… but, I need to find that ring. Can you go and get some for me? Please?" he asked with his best puppy-dog look. Hilde lasted a maximum of five seconds before she melted. "Oh fine… I'll be back soon." Duo sighed in relief as he heard the door slam before looking back around his ransacked room. What could he do now? That thing was nowhere to be seen! And without it… He immediately ran to the vid-phone, calling up a friend.

"HEERO! Hey Buddy, you alone?" the young man raised a sardonic eyebrow. "I've not got several women that I dragged from the bar with me so, yes I am alone."

Duo was still too panicked to be amazed at Heero Yuy's version of a joke. "All right, here's a question that you might find serious. Have you seen my ring?" he held up his hand towards the screen to indicate which one. Heero's eyes widened before he said, "You can't have lost one of the most important things you own just like that, could you Maxwell?!" Duo looked offended but his eyes were still searching for any wood-and-onyx rings that might be lying around. Heero sighed, "Well, I haven't seen anything like that lying around just yet Maxwell… what are you going to do?"

"What **can** I do? I can't tell Hilde I'm a vampire! She'd freak! Do you know **how** many wrong impressions of 'bloodsuckers' are out there? She'd hate me!"

A crash suddenly echoed behind him and both Heero (on the screen) and Duo looked to see who the intruder was. It was none other than Hilde looking shocked. "Hilde!" gaped Duo. "W-when did you get back?"

"I… I forgot that I'd taken my wallet out of my purse… **what** did you just say?!" she never noticed the broken glass vase, the soaked roses, and the puddling water at her feet. "Uh, Hilde I…" he racked his head for something to say. But he couldn't lie to her, it was against all he believed in. It was finally Heero who urged him. "Tell her." he said bluntly before zipping off the link. _A tower of support there…_

He turned back to his girlfriend who was absentmindedly picking up the glass shards and the roses. "Uh Hilde, about what I said earlier…"

"You kept another secret from me." the words were quiet. And full of hurt. "Hilde, Baby, listen…"

"I'm already listening." She was quiet as she picked up the dustpan lying conveniently nearby and began placing all the glass into it. Duo bent down to help as he couldn't think of anything else to do. He couldn't even think of what to say and he mindlessly began helping his girlfriend.

"Ow!" he yelped as a particularly big sliver of glass cut through his finger. Hilde stared at his finger where the blood was already beginning to run before grabbing it and holding it closer to her. "It's… black." Duo nodded slowly. "Yeah… it is." the pixie-like girl looked up closely into his face. "What **happened** to you?" she asked hesitantly. "It's a long story." Hilde dumped the glass out into the garbage can and stood up. "And I have time. Come on, you're going to eat something first." She said, still retaining her tenderness towards the guy, even though he apparently hadn't told her a big part of his life… er, you know what I mean.

They gravitated towards the couch, Duo taking great precautions to stay away from the sunlit window. "So… you're a vampire." Hilde sounded almost disbelieving. "Yeah, Babe. By blood. Literally." Hilde looked at him seriously. "So you're dead?" she asked hesitantly. Duo bit his lip. "Well… technically my body's dead… but I'm still the same guy I always was."

Hilde raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, you've got to believe me, I may run and I may hide but I'll never tell a lie remember?"

"I believe **you**… I just can't believe… all this." Duo grinned. "Believe it Babe, you're dating a semi-immortal."

"Semi-immortal?"

"Well… I would say immortal, but the fact that I can still be killed takes away most of that part…"

She sighed, "Even when you're dead you've got to make a joke out of everything."

"Yeah. Oh and one thing I've learned? Never mess around with stereotypes. God, I can't believe how they made those old movies and shows… talk about wrong!"

"So… you can just walk out in broad daylight?" Duo winced. "I wouldn't try it now… I've lost my ring." He looked down at his hands, and Hilde realized that ring was what let him travel in daylight… "Duo…" he hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Babe… I just couldn't tell you then… it's not that I didn't trust you…" he said hastily when she got a hurt look on her face, "It's just that, well, I wanted to forget as much as I could. And being around you helped a lot. I didn't want you to run away or something like that." Hilde smiled kissing his cheek. "You've got to trust me a **little** more than that." she said chiding him.

"So you forgive me?"

"I will soon enough." Duo looked serious. "Good. Because until I get my ring back, I'm stuck in this house until nightfall. And even then, it'll be hard to recognize me."

"Hard to… recognize you? You're not like some werewolf too right?"

"Hell no! Just… here." He placed his hands at the sides of her face tipping it upwards so she was looking directly at his face. Releasing the spell he'd cast, the blue shifted into its normal silver cat-like appearance. Hilde gasped. He smiled and the blue that she was so accustomed to appeared again. "That was what I was talking about."

Hilde smiled hesitantly. "Well… knowing you, you can still eat normal food right?"

"Knowing me? Of course I would!"

Hilde smiled. "Good. Then you're helping me eat." Duo grinned. "Something I wouldn't mind helping **anyone** doing!" they headed for the kitchen. But Duo wasn't as light-hearted as he seemed. The loss of the ring was a great blow to him. And if he had to get another one, it would mean going to the Temple of Light that he'd gone to several years ago.

~*~*~*~

Heero leaned back against the wall after he'd hung up on Duo. _How could he lose his **ring**?! Out of everything else, he had to lose **that**?!_ He sighed and was about to go back to the kitchen to finish his interrupted breakfast. The vid-phone rang and he groaned, turning back around to press the button. To his eternal surprise, it was Milliardo. "Zechs?" he asked, never minding to hide his surprise. "Yuy. I have something to ask you." Heero raised his eyebrow wondering just what Zechs Merquise, a.k.a. the Lightning Count wanted from HIM.

"Do you know if something happened to Relena last night? Did you notice anything?"

"No. Is something wrong with her?"

"Aside from staying in bed and shivering, hiding from any light possible you mean?"

Heero's eyes widened. "Backtrack for a moment, Zechs. Did you just say 'hiding from any light possible'?!"

"Yes."

"I'm coming over." The face on the screen looked as if he were about to protest when he sighed. "Yes, I suppose you would do to ask her." Heero raised an eyebrow before nodding and signing off. Zechs was really worried about her to be admitting **that**. He found himself shivering. She couldn't have been bitten, could she? He sighed and grabbed his jacket, walking swiftly out into the sunlight. God, he loved the light… it was one of the few things that separated him from the Hunters. It made him feel almost human.

~*~*~*~

"Lena?"

"Mmff?" came a muffled voice from under the pillow. "Someone's here to see you?" Relena's mussed golden hair and pale face appeared above the pillow. "Can it wait till tomorrow? I don't feel well…" she murmured blearily staring at Lucrezia. "Oh but he insists." Relena sighed, "Fine. He'll have to handle talking to a sleeping me." she slid back down into bed.

"Suit yourself." said a deep male voice. Her head snapped up and she turned round to look at him. "You!" she hissed and she leaped at him, hands outstretched and her hands curving like claws. Heero gaped at her for a split second before catching her and holding her still. "Relena, what's wrong with you?!" he grunted as she shook off his grasp before seeming to snap out of a dream. "Huh? H-Heero? What did I **do**?!" she gasped as she saw her hands had been reaching for his neck. Heero shrugged and picked her up, placing her back in bed. He glanced to the curtains and on sudden impulse reached over and yanked one of them open. The reaction was surprising, but not altogether unexpected. "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" shrieked Relena covering her eyes and hiding under the blankets. Heero ruthlessly grabbed her palm and yanked it into the sunlight. "NO! Stop, it HURTS!" she moaned and he let go closing the curtain again. He'd seen it already turning red.

Now, only two things can not stand light. One, vampires who do not possess a Ring, or Hunters who have never possessed any at all. "Relena… what happened to you?" he asked quietly. "I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled, "Everyone's been asking me that all day, I DON'T KNOW!" Heero approached the bed quietly and pulled away the covers. He grasped her face in his hands so that he was looking into her eyes. There wasn't a speck of silver in them. His heart flooded with sudden fear. What if she was one of Them?

"Then tell me, did anyone come in at all last night? Anything strange?" He checked her neck. No bite marks. His fear greatened.

"No. I just had a really strange dream…"

"Describe it."

Relena was silent as the memory of it came back to her, "I was with a group of cloaked people and we were sneaking into this temple. We were trying to take something, and just as the guard was about to turn, I went and snapped his neck," her voice was beginning to become monotonous and her eyes glassy as she lost herself. "He fell and we continued. But then this woman came, holding this torch. It burned my eyes. Badly. We killed her, she was the enemy. Everyone came, we were fighting all of them at once, trying to reach that stone. I was going to get it. But that girl stopped me! She ran and snatched it away. I cornered her and she clawed at my face, with claws. She ran as they snapped the wards around me… they burned like fire… That girl got away with the stone! The stone I needed so much! WHERE IS IT?!"she yelled before his shaking her snapped her out of it. He had a strange look on his face before he asked. "Do you have a ring?"

"What ring?"

"Like this one." He said holding out his hand and letting her see his charmed ring.

"I… don't know… I might've… why?"

"Because, I'm becoming suspicious of what's happening to you. You sound like a Hunter. Something happened last night."

"What in the world is a Hunter? Are you saying I track deer in the woods for kicks?!"

"No, I meant you sound like a Hunter that tracks Nightwalkers and murders them." He told her bluntly, watching her carefully. She looked indignant. "What in the world are you talking about?! I am NOT a murderer and I do not know **what** you mean by a Nightwalker…" she trailed off as she suddenly remembered something from the previous night. A voice in her head had whispered it. She suddenly gaped at him and backed away. "You're a Nightwalker!" she realized. He moved as if to grab her but thought better of it when she forced herself even harder backwards. "Get away from me!" she exclaimed. "Relena…" he said as he walked towards her. "No! I-I'll scream!" she threatened as she backed away, her eyes wide.

She could almost see a flash of hurt on his face but his eyes remained as blank as ever. There was a spark of wry amusement. "You've been watching old Dracula reruns I see."

"So what if I have?" she asked indignantly as she eyed her pathway to the door. He eyed her just as closely. "You know, your brother's worried about you too."

"Why would you care?!"

"I don't. I care whether or not **you** are alright."

"And why would you?" she asked bitterly, "Everyone's been on my case about my 'dereliction of duty' to the people after dropping all that bullshit about being a politician, then about how I look nowadays, and the way I act… no one **does** know!" she yelled. There was a loud banging on the door before it opened and Milliardo stood there staring at the both of them. Heero, standing at the window and Relena hiding from the sudden appearance. "Yuy, what was the meaning of all that screaming and yelling I heard?!"

"A test."

"A test of…?"

"I am sure that you of the Preventers know full well." Milliardo paled incredibly before he managed a smile at Relena's curious expression. "Oh… then, there is nothing more to worry about for the moment. Relena, go back to sleep and Heero, come with me and we'll talk." Relena raised an eyebrow. Her brother. Wanted to talk with Heero. That was new. Hell, that was something that had never been known to happen since the first time that she'd seen/met them both! Heero eyed him carefully once before nodding and walking after him. Noin, coming round with Gabriel looked at the both of them quizzically and Heero managed a smile at her and Gabriel. Then he noticed something. "Hey!" he said as he reached towards Gabriel. He grabbed something, but the little boy's hand grasped his before he could pull away. "MOMMY! He's steawing stuff! He's bad boy! Call p'lice!" Noin was looking up at Heero in surprise but Heero remained silent as he tugged away. The little boy's grip was surprisingly strong and Heero wrenched it away looking down at it. Sure enough, there was Duo's ring. Gabriel burst into tears hugging his mother's legs, "MOMMY! He stole my pwesent! MINE!!!" he began sobbing.

"Who gave it to you?" asked Heero roughly as he stared down at it, recognizing it immediately.

"Aunt Lena!" Heero felt his body temperature drop below zero. "Milliardo, I think that 'talk' we were going to have is going to have to come sooner than expected." He said stiffly and Milliardo immediately led the way to his office leaving a stunned Noin to take care of her sobbing son.

"Yuy, what is the meaning of all this? Were you implying that my sister is a vampire and a thief?"

"No I'm not."

"Then what are you saying? What else could she be?!"

"Our greatest enemy."

"You mean a **Hunter**?! But she's never even known what they are! How could she have come in contact with one?"

"Perhaps before I came back? It is very difficult to make someone, especially as pure as her, into a Hunter. It would involve a lot of time with her. How many people can you think of?" Milliardo was still shocked over the idea that his own **sister** could be a Hunter. "Are you **sure** she's not a vampire at all?!"

"No silver."

"You touched her with silver for a test?!"

"No. I checked her eyes. No silver. And even if she'd just been bitten the other night, they should have turned."

"Were there bite marks?"

"No."

"She… she could've spelled her eyes couldn't she?" asked Milliardo hopefully as he paced the floor.

"In that short a time? With no one to teach her? Impossible."

"Could she stand sunlight?"

"No. It burned her skin." Milliardo resumed pacing. "Dear god, could there be any way she's **not** a Hunter?! Is there any evidence at all?"

"She stole Duo's ring, Zechs." Milliardo stopped. "What?"

"His ring. The charmed one. She stole it and Gabriel had it."

"Gabe?! Why would he have it?"

"He said Relena gave it to him didn't he?" The older man was silent, cursing to himself. "How could this happen? I took special care for her to be well-monitored."

"Not close enough apparently… there are a few things you don't know about her."

"WHAT?! And how would **you** know something I don't?!"

"She showed me." You can imagine how many thoughts were running through the platinum-blonde haired man's head at this moment, none of them pleasant. Heero raised an eyebrow, "What has she been doing these days?"

"Nothing much… she's got a job working at computer tech. down in the Preventers."

"She works in the PREVENTERS?!" he gaped at the man, showing how much he'd changed since they'd first met.

"Yes. We agreed because she'd be easier to monitor and she'd be safer." Heero leaned against the wall in his most comfortable 'thinking pose'.

"Why is she in computer tech.?" Milliardo looked at him strangely before muttering. "Oh yes, you weren't around when she dropped the bomb… She'd just resigned from being Vice Foreign Minister. Then she entered Headquarters asking for a job and after our disbelief and our questioning, she asked to be entered into computer tech."

"That's it?"

"Quite." Heero thought silently, "So, if she is involved with the computer technicians in Preventers, with only minimal hacking from the inside, it could be quite easy to find out there are vampires working in the Preventers."

Milliardo swore under his breath, he'd gone through great lengths for Relena to be safe from such creatures… and it had all been for nothing?! "This cannot be happening to her…"

"Believe it. It's not impossible."

"You two are impossible." A sly voice said from behind them. Heero sighed as he realized who it was. "What is it Syliana?"

"Nothing darling, absolutely nothing…" she smirked slightly at Milliardo, taking her time to look him over, from head to foot. "Do not call me that." Heero said not turning around to even look at her. Milliardo however was wondering who the hell she was and how the **hell** had she snuck in?! "Who is she?"

"I'm Heero's mate." She told him, her smile feral. Milliardo could see the white pointed fangs. "Mate?" he asked, keeping a tight hold on his surprise. "Don't believe her." said Heero as he turned to give the girl a warning glance. She paid it no attention. "Yes. Mate. He's mine."

"Heero, are you saying you've got a… mate and you're still coming on to my sister?!"

"I told you not to believe her!"

"He can believe whatever the hell he wants to, darling."

He glared at her, "I told you not to call me that."

Milliardo was becoming slightly confused at that point and he finally said, "Yuy, you have not answered my question. Who is she?"

"Her name's Syliana. She was the one who took over as being my 'teacher' when Duo and I attacked Vlad."

"And as the ancient laws state, if ever a teacher and student are of opposing sexes, they shall become mates for all eternity."

"And you accepted this Yuy?!"

"She tricked me. She never told me anything of vampiric law until I'd agreed to be her follower, as her student."

The girl smiled, lying down on the nearby couch in and lounged. "Now, back to the point you two were discussing ever so quietly…" Heero glared at the girl. How dare she intrude in his life?! "You have no voice in this conversation." He told her stiffly and turned away from her, leaning comfortably against the wall again, trying to ignore her. "Oh, but I have information." They both turned back to the Spanish vampire now. "What do you know?"

She looked sultry but innocent at the same time, "Hmm… should I tell you two? After the ghastly way you treated me?" Heero gave her a warning glance. "I can kill you. You are not my sire." He warned.

She laughed. "Didn't I tell you? Not only can you not kill your sire, you are forbidden to kill your mate as well. You should know that, the teacher has always had more power than the student. I can control you just as Lord Vlad can." Heero growled under his breath. Milliardo was starting to feel left out now. And he'd had enough. He spoke so. "I have had enough of your squabbling at the moment. Right now, all that matters is my sister. And I'll do anything to find out what's happening to her."

The girl's interest was piqued. "Anything?"

He looked vaguely uncertain, but nodded. "Anything." he confirmed. The girl laughed. "I like you mortal… very well, I can release my hold on Heero if **you** become my mate in his stead." Milliardo's eyes widened. "B-But I already have a mate—wife!"

"Dissolve it. I know you mortals take no pride in your marriages."

"I love Noin! I wouldn't leave her!" The girl smirked, "Well then. I'll keep my secrets to myself." She stood up and turned to leave by the window, in which she'd entered.

"Wait." She turned around at the sound of Heero's voice. "Yes?" she purred as she balanced on the window frame easily. "What will make you reveal what you know about Relena?"

"From you, you mean?"

"Yes." She looked thoughtful, then mischievous. "Let me spend the night in your bed." Heero blinked. "WHAT?!"

"Exactly what I said." She smiled. "Or… are you in love with Relena, still?" at his silent look she laughed, "I knew it. Very well then. I will dissolve our… marriage. If, until you have a child with that woman, you will spend one night every full moon with me." 

For the first time in his life, he looked to Milliardo for help, even if it had to do with the 'screwing' of his baby sister. "Woman, what are you THINKING?! Do you not love anyone?"

"Love?" she laughed, "I do not care for such a thing." She turned around and headed for the window. "Think about it Heero. One night with me cannot be so bad, can it?"

"That wasn't what I was thinking about." Milliardo had enough. It was about his little sister that he'd fought so hard to protect all the way back to when she'd been nothing more than a child, and here this woman was acting like this was all a big sex game. "THAT'S IT! Either you tell us what you know or you can go back to whatever Hellhole you came from!" she turned around eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth hissing at him. He reigned himself in, it was not a good idea to get on the bad side of a vampire. She glared before he held up a gun. "Heero might not be able to kill you… but I have no ties towards you."

"Bullets cannot harm me, they can't harm any vampire!" she scoffed staring at the barrel of the gun.

"They can kill you if they are made of silver." It was at this point that the girl became nervous and she eyed the distance between herself and the window. "I won't hurt you… but tell us what you know." The girl frowned but nodded sighing and Milliardo lowered the gun. She sat herself back on the sofa again and began talking. "She's been going around a lot at night. I saw her enough times sneaking out of her window."

"How would you know what she's doing? Why are you watching **her**?" asked Heero a little confused at the motives of his 'teacher'. "I was watching her because I was suspecting she could possibly be a threat to Nightwalkers. You should know, both of you have killed plenty of Hunters before. I was suspecting even before symptoms were appearing that she might be becoming one of them. As you know, none of us really know how anyone becomes a Hunter."

"So?"

"Call me a scientist. I want to find out what happens. And I suspected her of becoming one. I started watching her… I'd already been watching her for the past three years. She began to change, as you can tell. She didn't want anything to do with being in the spotlight anymore (not that I think she ever did) and she refused to promote peace. The Relena you knew is fading away slowly and a new Relena is appearing. 'I just wanted a change. It might not be so 'political'ish but I just wanted a change.' I'm sure you remember her saying. She was beginning to realize."

Heero was wide-eyed. "How… how did you know anything?"

"I was there."

"So… there's no way that she **can't** be a Hunter." Milliardo collapsed on a couch opposite Syliana's and placed his head in his hands. He looked weary beyond his years, and all he'd gone through seemed to fall suddenly on his shoulders at once. "Perhaps she might not… she is just beginning to change… if we can find out who's… changing her, we might be able to stop it. At least… if she isn't already one of them to begin with."

"We? I suppose you've decided to join our little game?"

"As I see it, you'll need all the help you can get."

__

We do indeed… thought Heero morosely as he stared at a picture frame on Zechs' desk. That baby-blue eyed angel was in there, laughing as she ran, catching a (for-that-moment) laughing brother. _We do indeed…_


	4. 

Chapter Three

Cathrine eyed what she was wearing uncomfortably. Alright, alright, being in a circus, she could understand strange, even skimpy. But here she was dressed up like that woman from _Xena: Warrior Princess_. Or something of the like. "Aoi… is this necessary?"

"First of all, you have to come with me to the gates of the Golden City and have you four enter the service of the Valkyries in your case, in your friends, our fellow soldiers."

"Enter the service of the Valkyries… does that mean that I have to be a Valkyrie all my life?"

"Yes… but you are not sworn. You will only have agreed to serve the Golden City and defy all Hunters." For this is how Aoi talked, she was quite a formal speaker. "Quite true…" Cathrine resigned herself to her new armor. Picking up the broadsword, she gasped, took a firmer stance before lifting it up completely, if a little shakily. Even Aoi had to laugh. "You look like a fool." She told her bluntly, before taking another sword and handing it to her. Cathrine handled it more easily than the former and she twirled it a few times, a little awkwardly, but it responded as lightly as a fencing foil. "Then this shall be your weapon." Aoi proclaimed as she held up the sword forged in the Golden City. A spark of light seemed to flare up at the beginning of the hilt where it met the blade, and it ran as if being written with a pen and the blade was etched with the ancient name of a Valkyrie. She handed it to Cathrine who sheathed it. 

Dorothy was having a much easier time. She had refused to wear anything of the sort like Cathrine was wearing. What she wore instead was a black dress that clung tightly to her curves, the skirt of it slit on both sides to her hip where it was bound for about two inches with several strands of silver wound around her waist. Her black gloves that went past her elbows were bound with the same intricate designs of silver thread. All in all, she didn't look like one preparing for battle.

Knowing Dorothy however, she would do perfectly well in whatever she was wearing. Cathrine grinned at her. "My brother better not be seeing you in that or he'll get his precious hair swiped off and he wouldn't noticed once he sees you." Dorothy gave her a chilly stare. "I must say however, I fit in, in the normal world than you do Valkyrie." Cathrine shrugged, "I'm not complaining. But Trowa has to be careful this time…" Dorothy laughed, "My Trowa will do just fine. I'd have to say the same about you. You are more likely to be the one who balks at the first sign of battle than him." Cathrine laughed, "And you know that I **never** balk." The two girls walked on through the cloudy walkways of the Golden City, the center of the entire heavenly world.

"Cathy?" Cathrine whirled to face Trowa, who was looking slightly abashed at the clothing he was wearing. That he'd been forced to wear. The blood-red sleeveless shirt attached with a type of baggy pants. A gold belt was the only thing that showed the difference between the two as they were both of the same material and color. A dark green cape hung lightly on his shoulders and on his wrists were the golden wrist-guards he'd asked for in order to wield a sword (which was sheathed at his side). Dorothy had to work very hard not to stop in the middle of the road and gape at her lover. Quatre came up beside them moments later, swathed in turquoise with a sandy-gold overcoat. On his back were sheaths for the twin scythes he was so skilled at. Cathrine stopped (only for a few moments of course) to take it all in. Quatre was turning a slight shade of red at her obvious staring. He himself was admiring Cathy's slim form in the almost ancient-designed armor. A Valkyrie suddenly approached the quartet. "All of you are ordered to the Meeting Place." She told them abruptly before leading the way. Aoi was two seconds behind them, catching up quickly with her long legs. Her armor was almost identical to Cathrine, aside from the fact hers was blue-silver and Cathrine's was red-silver. The only noticeable difference (other than color) was the belt of small sheathed knives hanging at Cathrine's waist. She had chosen it specifically to suit her skill in knife throwing. All those years in the circus had paid off.

They talked quietly on their way to the meeting place. Even as they walked, they could feel the people around them filled with an underlying fear. The Hunters were coming.

~*~*~*~

"Heero, what's wrong?" asked Relena. She seemed healthier now, and didn't look so pale after he'd almost forced her to take a vacation from home and brought her to a vacation spot in California. After the delayed plane trip (take off at night of course), hours of other muttering passengers and (some) dirty looks at the ex-Vice Foreign Minister, Heero, Relena, Hilde and Duo were off in California. Relena seemed even strong enough that she walked straight into the sun without flinching at all or any sign of pain and smiled as a cool wind blew into her face. Duo, who'd received his ring back, was just as ecstatic after being cooped away for several days without sunlight. Heero shook his head, shrugging and trying his hardest to look ignorant. Too bad she'd known him for too long that she knew when he was thinking about something. Still…

"Nothing."

"No… I don't think it's 'nothing'. What's wrong?" Duo sensing the danger in the situation (on Heero's part anyway) suddenly slid an arm around Relena's shoulders. "That's called sexual frustration, Lena." He teased, laughing at Heero behind Relena's shoulder. Relena rolled her eyes, "I'm sure." Hilde dragged her boyfriend away from the girl and scolded him gently. "Don't be an idiot." Relena shrugged before looking longingly at the beach where many sun worshippers and swimmers were already out. "Can we go swimming?! Please?!"

"After we get to our hotel."

"After we get to our hotel." echoed Relena mournfully as she eyed the glowing blue water. Sighing, she followed the dark thatch of mahogany-colored hair. Hilde and Duo hung back a few steps to converse semi-privately. "So, are that Syliana girl and Milliardo coming?" asked Hilde to Duo. Duo's face wrinkled at the remembrance of Syliana. She'd never been the sort of woman that turned him on, and the fact that she didn't seem to care the difference between him and Spandex Boy (even though he didn't wear them anymore) was uncanny. "I think they're still over in the Kingdom. Trying to figure out something to do with the Preventers." The raven-haired girl beside him was silent until he finally asked, "What's bugging you, babe?"

"I worried about Lena." Duo's face furrowed. "Yeah, I'll have to agree with you on that one. I don't want to think she might be one of our worst enemies."

"'We' huh? Would that 'we' count me?"

"Only if you're willing." He told her seriously to her light-hearted comment. "I don't like this business with all this suspicion about Relena." Hilde agreed readily as they sprinted to catch up the pair in front of them. There were two rooms. Duo pouted when Hilde suggested she stay in the same room with Hilde. "Aw, come on Hilde-baby…" he whined. Hilde sighed, "What would Relena think if I left her to sleep with a **guy**?!"

Heero wondered if he should be insulted. Relena replied airily. "I don't care as long as Heero stays on his own bed. And doesn't come an inch near mine." Heero wondered if this should make him feel even more insulted. "What kind of guy do you think I am?" Duo answered for her. "Hopefully, a straight, red-blooded, healthy male." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and laughed out loud when Relena turned bright red. Heero sighed impatiently and flung his bag on the bed of one of the two beds. His laptop stored in another bag, he lay more carefully on the desk. Hilde and Duo disappeared through the connecting door to their own room. Relena was wondering why, even on a vacation he would insist on his computer. Instead of pondering over this obviously unresolved and unable to figure out an answer, she made a beeline to the window to where a view of the ocean could be seen and she looked longingly at it. Apparently, she seemed to have forgotten that incident where she'd announced her (correct) suspicions of his being a Nightwalker. Heero watched her look longingly at the water when he suddenly grabbed his bag and pulled out a pair of black swimming trunks. "I've got what I'm wearing, you'd better say you brought something to wear."

Relena turned to look at him with an excited smile. "You're coming too?!" she squealed, and looked like an excited little child again. It was hard to believe from this strange, silent girl that the war had molded her into could act like a little child still. He gave her an incredulous look. "Of course I'm coming." She then went and tackled her back, pulling out a swimsuit and running for the bathroom which closed with a "WHAM". Heero then took the liberty to change in the bedroom, (quicker than Relena) and was ready and back in his clothes before she was done and out of there. She eyed him strangely but made no comment at his speed. Knocking on the door, Hilde and Duo appeared holding beach bags, Hilde with a large, straw sun hat on her head. Duo was loaded with the bag of towels, suntan lotion and other beach necessities. Relena grinned and the three of them raced off with Heero shaking his head. Duo was forgetting the reason they'd come here in the first place…

He then looked back on his thoughts as being hypocritical. When the girls had first rid themselves of their outer clothing, all thoughts of anything else flew to the back of his mind. Hilde was decked out in a black bikini, silver strings 'tying' it up as they were just for decoration. Relena wearing a simple baby blue bikini that made her look innocent and incredibly attractive at the same time. He had to remember to keep his jaw firmly in place. Of course, the guys had their turn in basking in the spotlight when they removed **their** outer clothing to reveal them their swimming trunks. The girls had to try their hardest not to drool. Relena shook herself out of her daze quicker and she immediately snagged an available volleyball net as Hilde went and grabbed the one she'd stashed inside Duo's bag. As Duo had made a comment about how he'd whip Hilde in volleyball, she and Relena had teamed up against the two of them. And as it turned out, Heero's prowess in fighting and basketball had not carried on into volleyball. The ball he could **catch** but to bump, spike, or volley over was hoping for too much. As it turned out, the girls had received a stunning victory over the two ex-gundam pilots of 20-4. As Relena and Hilde were jumping up and down, several people came to ask to join in. Relena and Hilde shrugged, they'd finished playing anyway and offered them the court. Before they could walk away though, one of them grabbed Relena's arm. "No, I don't think you get it Babe, we want to play with **you**."

Keeping her cool, Relena replied, "Well I am done playing for now." She bent down to pick up the ball when the guy went and grabbed at her chest! She whirled around and smacked him, never minding her nails got in the way as well, clawing several lines of blood on the guy's face. "Why you little whore!" he swore as he raised his fist to punch her. Someone grabbed him from behind. "I don't think that's a very smart idea." It was one of his friends and as he was about to turn and yell at **him**, he gestured to Heero who had dodged under the net and was holding a gun at him, not to mention a Preventers I.D. "Step away from the girl." he told them calmly. The guy glared at him for a minute and was about to say something snide when another safety clicked off. Duo appeared at his side, holding another gun and his own I.D. "I can arrest you for assault right now and disrupting the peace." He told them grimly. The guy looked at both of them holding weapons and shuffled off with his hands in his swimming trunks. "God, you guys take things so seriously…" he wiped at the blood on his face as if it were nothing. Relena was staring at them both. "Why the HELL do you have your guns and ID's?!" she asked.

"It's part of the job you know, didn't you bring yours?"

"I brought my ID sure, but not a **gun**!"

"You work in com. tech. a completely different department than us." 

"Any way they can make it up to you?" asked Hilde, trying to play peacemaker, achieving the perfect mixture of worry and mischief on her face to make Relena laugh. "Sure. They're coming swimming with us **now** and then later they can help us pick out a dress for dinner!" both guys groaned but allowed themselves to be dragged to the water's edge where a Frisbee was taken out and thrown. Heero was much better at this game than at his attempts at volleyball and his leaps from the water to catch the spinning orange disk were always accurate. Of course, Relena was more than a match for him, and they both enjoyed splashing around than actual swimming which Duo and Hilde engaged themselves in.

When finally, they left the Frisbee on the beach and began actually swimming on the beach, Heero and Relena found themselves swimming together as Hilde and Duo might as well be stuck together by Velcro the way they didn't notice anyone else but each other. Heero was amazed to find Relena wasn't that good of a swimmer, and especially not if it wasn't in a pool. He found himself helping her learn how and he found to his surprise that he blonde hair had a green tinge in the water as it drifted in the small currents when they dived underwater.

It was late when they finally left the beach and returned to their hotel rooms and taken a shower to rinse off any of the grit that they'd collected from the sandy beach. As promised, both Relena and Hilde had their own little fashion show as they presented dress after dress in front of the two guys who would have been bored with such fashion presentations had the dresses been on anyone but them. With their opinions, Hilde was soon dressed in a casual, revealing black dress and Relena in a royal blue one. The strolled out for dinner at a small place where they'd made their reservations earlier. For once in a long time, both Heero and Duo left their sunglasses off and the shimmering of silver when the night came on wasn't lost on either Relena or Hilde. Relena looked a little more uncomfortable than her friend did but she was still determined to have fun. And she did, dinner was wonderful and their conversation was loud and filled with laughter.

As they were walking out and into the darkness towards their hotel, a gang of black-swathed men surrounded them, jeering. One of them they recognized to be the guy from the beach. "You're going to pay for what you did back there." He said as many of the people around them took out knives, and the others took out guns. Relena moved back a step as he came closer to her, grinning. Heero was glaring at him, and the silver flecks were beginning to overcome the blue. Relena however wasn't looking at him, she was staring at the moon. It had just come out from behind a cloud and her eyes narrowed. When the guy realized she wasn't paying any attention to him, he raised his hand to slap her before her head jerked and glared at him. Both her eyes glowed red so they couldn't even see her pupils and he stepped back yelling, "What the hell?!" She was glaring at him, gaining him step for step. "So you want to take me on?" she asked dangerously. 

"Hey—"

"Bring it on then." By this time, the guy was freaked. The girl's eyes hadn't stopped glowing and they were glowing even harsher now and more abnormally. But he couldn't lose face in front of his friends. "You'll be sorry you ever messed me, you little bitch." He told her before swiping at her with a butterfly knife. She dodged it skillfully and countered by kneeing him in the groin and as he bent double from the pain kicked up higher into his face, making him fly backwards. He didn't get up. She whirled to face the others who gaped at her eyes, her friends included. "Who's next?" she asked dangerously.

Those who had guns fired but all she did was bring her hands up and what looked like a rush of wind burst from her palms, stopping the bullets in the air, and letting them fall harmlessly to the ground. "I warned you…" she hissed, her voice becoming even less like her own. "I warned you not to mess with me." Heero took the situation in his own hands, grabbing her arm while the gang split. "Relena…" she glared at him. "YOU!" she hissed about to slash a clawed hand across his face. He grabbed her other hand just in time, shaking her. "Relena! Hey Relena, snap out of it! Come on!" slowly the red glow disappeared and she slumped, falling forwards against his chest. He caught her before she could slide down to the ground. He cursed under his breath as he pulled her into a more comfortable carrying position and began to make his way towards the hotel. Duo and Hilde were silent, following him worriedly. This couldn't be happening to **Relena** of all people… it just couldn't…

~*~*~*~

Sally had been put to bed and Wufei and Amber were facing it other sitting on opposite chairs. "Will you tell me what happened now?" he asked softly eyeing the room Sally had disappeared into. The shapeshifter sighed, "There isn't much to tell. I found Sally in that alleyway and tried to help her—"

"I wasn't talking about that."

"Huh?"

"I was talking about the Firestone. Amber's hand reached up to touch it from where it hung on her neck. "What do you want to know?" she asked suspiciously. "Your grandmother could not have hidden the Firestone. I recall only a little of the history of that place but it wasn't lost ages ago, merely a few years. You yourself could've been the one who'd taken it into safety." 

Amber sighed. "You're right. It was me. It was the night the Hunters attacked the Temple and I was still a child. One of them was just about to take it when I ran and snatched it before that **thing** could. When it came after me, it moved so quickly that it cornered me. The cloak hid that thing's face so well that I couldn't tell whether or not it was a man or woman… and it hissed at me to give the Firestone to me. But it was already warming my hand and I didn't seem to find any fear in me. I clawed at it and managed to tear the cloak before running. When I ran outside, I found the others had set up wards and captured the one chasing me which I think was their leader." She sighed, stroking the stone "And that's it." she finished staring at a blank wall.

"There's a war going on with the Hunters. Won't the people of Heaven need it?"

"They want to keep it safe. I am doing that duty perfectly fine for now. If I could find a way to reach Heaven, of course I would hand it over to their protection!" Wufei nodded. "Then we must go to the Preventers immediately to find out where Cathrine is."

"Cathrine… you mean that circus girl?"

"Yes."

"Why would we need to find her?"

"She's one of the Valkyries by Blood-Sister. She's connected with them. I think she would be able to tell us how to get to heaven."

"Then let's book the plane tickets." said a muffled voice as Sally came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes and smiling wryly for falling asleep. "We've got our work cut out for us, don't we?" Wufei smiled and nodded. "Just like old times, huh?" he asked rhetorically.

"Just like old times." She assured him. Amber went straight to the phone and dialed Lady Une's office at Preventers and informed her of what they were planning. The woman gave them permission at once and took on the responsibility of getting the plane/shuttle tickets as they would need both to get to their destination. The route was simple, straight to California where they'd take the shuttle to L2.

"Perhaps you'll find Heero and Duo there along with Relena and Hilde. It would be a good thing to talk things over with them. Be careful around Relena though…" she warned them before hanging up. She sighed placing her head in her hand. "This is a horrible state of affairs." She murmured to herself. "I'd have to agree." Her head jerked up and her faced relaxed only minimally when she realized it was Syliana. "Oh… hello."

"Good evening to you too." Syliana replied walking up and sitting in the chair across from Une. "Anything new?" Syliana sighed. "I was just on direct-linking with Duo… and the news isn't good."

"What is it?" Une seemed to have a terrible sense of foreboding.

"Apparently the moonlight's beginning to affect her more than the sun… I don't know if that's normal with a Hunter, but it's entirely the opposite with the ones I've observed. I don't know much now."

Wufei and Sally are on their way to find their friend who happens to be a Valkyrie… they should find a safe place for the Firestone." Syliana's eyes lighted with interest. "The Firestone? Can it be true that **they** have it?"

"Perhaps." Une said vaguely. She did not entirely trust this woman. Syliana sighed, "I swear above anything else that I am not a traitor. If the Hunters win, it will be the death of myself as well… why would I help them?" Une shrugged nonchalantly and stared at the woman. "I do not trust anyone easily now—" the door opened and a young girl with bright red hair looked at her adopted mother through big blue eyes. Syliana turned to look over her casually and turned back to Une when she did a double-take, returning her gaze back to the little girl. The big blue eyes had the inhuman silver tinge. Une noticed and sighed. "Yes, Mariemaia is one of you." Mariemaia looked at Syliana in mute interest before saying in a surprisingly quiet and solemn voice, "Syliana-sama." quite politely and bowing her head before walking towards Une and handing her a sheaf of paper and leaving as quietly as she'd come. "Was that Trieze's daughter?" asked Syliana in amazement. Une nodded sighing, "She never really got over mistaking her father's ideals… Dekim had a greater effect on her than we realized and she's never really had a childhood. Then when she became a vampire…" she shook her head getting back to business. Syliana gave her a wry smile, "Would it help matters if I enrolled in the Preventers Undercover team?" she held up the papers already filled out that she'd kept in her purse.

Une smiled slightly before taking them and stamping them. "Welcome to the team." She said awkwardly but trying her hardest to trust this strange woman. Syliana responded with a smile, taking the papers. "Where can I suit up, Commander?" she asked with a mock salute. Une stood with her and led her towards Wardrobe (K: I don't know any other name to call it…) to find a Preventer's uniform for her. As Syliana was left alone to change, she heard a rustling behind her and whirled, her claws extended ready to kill whoever might be behind her. Standing there was the little girl, Mariemaia. She was staring at Syliana's claws in, not fear, but fascination. "How did you do that?" she asked quietly, staring at her small hands. Syliana sheathed them, so they looked like her nails again. "Forgive me… you startled me." she said just as quietly. She was still holding the Preventer's uniform in her hands and she on her knees to face the little girl, putting the gray-green uniform to the side. Mariemaia was looking at Syliana's hands again, noticing how the claws were gone. "Can all vampires do that?" she asked.

Syliana nodded taking one of Mariemaia's hands in her own and stroking the delicate bones of her fingers carefully before pressing… something. Mariemaia watched in fascination as her nails seemed to shoot out, become curved and looked like steel. Syliana was looking at her claws in surprise. "So you're a Steel-claw." She mused as she eyed the one hand. "How do I make them back to normal?" asked the little redhead. "Concentrate. It is actually quite easy to do." Mariemaia looked askance. "Concentrate on sheathing them?" Syliana nodded. Mariemaia stared hard at her hand and as if by magic, they sheathed and the small nails took their place. "Do I have to press my hands every time?"

"No… I just did that to prompt them. The first time is the hardest… you felt the pain didn't you?" Mariemaia nodded. "After that, it will become more natural, they'll unsheathe on command of mind." Mariemaia had noticed the Preventers uniform and gestured to it. "You enrolled?" she asked. 

Syliana nodded. "Yeah… your mom probably wouldn't have trusted me in any other way. I've got to get that ID bracelet this afternoon." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of **that** magical article, ensuring her loyalty to the Preventers.

"She's not my mother." She told Syliana simply, shocking her. 

"She's not?" repeated Syliana dumbly as she saw the look of sorrow the little girl hid so well. "Then… who was your mother?"

"Leia. Leia Barton. She died when I was still little." Syliana shuddered at how ghastly her childhood must've been with the Eve wars and losing both her parents. "Do you like the Commander as a guardian?" she asked purposely avoiding the word 'mother'. Mariemaia nodded. "She understands me… a little." She added as almost an afterthought. Syliana was looking over Mariemaia's eyes carefully. "Do you have a teacher?"

"In what subject?" Syliana's eyes flashed wry humor. "I was talking about your vampirism. Do you have a teacher?" Mariemaia shook her head. "Then… how did you know how to cast a cloaking spell on your eyes?" Mariemaia blinked. "Duo-san taught me only the basics… and none of the other vampires in Preventers will." Syliana grinned, "Do you want to learn?"

"Yes."

"Then consider yourself a student." She told the little girl smiling. It wasn't often that a little nymph like this one could get Syliana to be so… nice. Mariemaia finally smiled at her, and it was a full, cheek-to-cheek smile. "Arigato, Syliana-sama." before she turned and walked out the door on the opposite of the door Syliana had come through. Smiling, the woman changed quickly and tied her hair in a more professional ponytail before exiting and heading towards an office. Une's to be exact, she needed to explain her sudden duty as teacher to her 'daughter'.

~*~*~*~

__

I escaped those horrifying wards of light and flame and I run through the forest trying to find that disgusting little child. I will rip her beating heart out and crush it in my hand. How dare she take what is meant to be mine! But this forest is big and the day is coming… I cannot stay. And that shapeshifter will escape. She has no harm from the light… and she has the Firestone! The rest of my clan surround me, hiding in their cloaks. They have failed me as well. They ran. My curses and screams are loud as I yell to the heavens, the stars and even our guardian moon mocking me in my failure as they slip away before daylight.

Now… all I can do is wait again. And I will wait. I will find that stone and destroy every being left on this planet. Then, only then can we be at peace. But as of now, that shapeshifter will ever rue the day she crossed paths with we, the Demon Hunters.

Relena woke up. But waking up screaming had never been one of her favorite things to do. And she had woken up screaming. In a moment, someone was holding her, so that she was in a sitting position. She found herself shaking as she finally recognized her surroundings. It was morning, in the hotel room. Heero… it was Heero. "Relena?" he asked hesitantly as she shielded her eyes from the sunlight burning into her eyes. "Are you okay?" the connecting door burst open the next two seconds and both Hilde and Duo appeared looking sleepy-eyed but Duo holding his gun and Hilde holding an iron frying pan (where she found that thing, is still a mystery). "What happened?! Who screamed?" Relena held up a hand… "I'm sorry… I just woke up from a… a really strange dream…" she trailed off, shuddering as she remembered the intense feeling of hatred that had seared through her mind as she'd seen that silver-haired child.

"Strange dream, huh? What about?" Relena blinked, "I don't know… I was at some temple, at night, and there was so much pain watching the lights and the fire… I wanted this stone so badly I would kill for it, and I was going to get it! But this silver-haired child got it before me! And when I followed her, she disappeared into the forests around the place. I escaped the wards they'd locked me in but I couldn't catch her… the day was coming. And I couldn't catch her in the day…" she fell silent as she shook her head trying to shake the irrepressible hatred she'd felt, all the despair that came with the failure of her mission, all the embarrassment before her clan.

They were silent as they listened with growing fear. This was not happening to her, it couldn't be happening to her. "How many of these strange dreams have you been having?" asked Duo roughly. 

"This is the second one." Duo cursed under his breath, but Hilde did nothing to stop him, she was in shock herself. "Relena… this can't be happening to you…" she whispered, and though she tried to stop them, the tears were already running down her face in rivulets. This was unfair, her best friend who had fought for the rights of all humans and for peace between Earth and the Colonies was turning into something that would take joy in killing, in destroying, in conquering. Relena looked like she was ready to cry too, "I don't want to be a Hunter… I don't want to have to kill you all." She crumpled onto the bed in which she sat and she looked like a frightened little girl, not the savvy career woman or the smooth-talking politician that she was. 

Heero looked thunderstruck. "How… how…" she eyed him with a raised an eyebrow, finishing his question for him. "How did I know?" He barely nodded. "Because I'm one of you." She told them all simply before standing and moving away from Heero, whose face had changed from incredulous to complete denial. The others were in similar forms of shock. "No… it can't be…" Heero whispered hoarsely. "Why can't it?" she asked him, her face becoming smooth and cool, a face of indifference that Mariemaia, if she had been present would have recognized very well. Fearlessness. "Because…" he thought hard to remember everything that he'd known of her, "You walked out into the sunlight and you weren't harmed."

She smiled harshly, "I forgot to mention one last thing. I was a priestess in the Temple of Light, those who are sworn to their duties of the sun shall never be harmed, even if the curse of being turned should fall. And the moon…" she grimaced, "The moon is the guardian of the Hunters, and what weakens some of the power of the Nightwalkers ironically. But right now… right now I'm becoming one."

Hilde burst, "How can you be so CALM?! If you become a Hunter, you'll turn against us all and then, no matter what, one side has to die. And I don't want to think of what would happen then." Relena sighed, "Neither do I. But now you know, and even though I would've wished for you to find out differently, you'll have to live with it like I have since the moment I was turned." She looked sad before attempting a smile and walking over to Heero, who was still sitting on the bed and looking completely lost and crouched down so that she was eye-level with him. She had to stifle a startled gasp when she saw the pain he'd always felt after what Vlad had done to him. "You and I are birds of a feather, we are. And you too, Duo." she said turning to face the braided man who was leaning against the wooden bureau from shock. Her eyes changed. "And more than you know. Syliana told me she talked to you about me, but she never mentioned something important… she's my teacher as well." Duo and Hilde immediately got the feeling that she was talking only to Heero now, and they made a discreet exit to their own room where Duo found himself comforting his own girlfriend.

As soon as they were gone Relena smiled a little. "Are you surprised? Do you hate me, because of this?" he looked at her confused. "How would being a vampire make me hate you?"

"No, not the vampire part… it's hiding it from you and Brother and everyone, about becoming a Hunter."

He looked uncomfortable, which just goes to show how far he'd come since the wars. "Well… I had hoped you would've begun to trust me… even a little." Relena smiled faintly, "A little, Heero? I trust you with my life. The only thing is… I didn't trust myself to keep you safe."

"I don't care about my own safety—" she sighed, "—but **I** do. And that is why. I'm changing, Heero, and as far as we know, I won't ever change back. When I change, I won't **care**. And I don't want you to care about a girl that wants to kill you." He quirked a wry glance at her, "And it would be better, per say if a **guy** wanted to kill a girl?"

"You know what I mean." 

"Yeah, I do. And Relena, I don't care. I don't care what happens to me, but with you, you've got people who love you and depend on you."

"Do you?" she caught him off guard. He didn't answer for a moment, but he knew he owed her an answer. "I… I do to." He said softly.

"Good. I'm glad you didn't say 'love'. I'm not ready for that."

He gave her a questioning look. "Listen. I really like you, I can even say I absolutely adore you. But 'love' is something that I can say only once to one person. And if you're it, then sooner or later, you'll hear it from me. When I know for sure." Heero smiled, "Finally, a woman that understands my way of thinking."

"How many other women have you had a relationship with?" She was firing point-blank. She'd known for a long time he'd liked her. Really liked her. Too bad the only thing he did to prove it was by hiding and watching her and coming out (a little) only now, a little too late. He shrugged uncomfortably before Relena got a mischievous gleam in her eye and gave him a starter. "Four." His head jerked up. "Four what?"

"Four for me. Now, how many…?" she asked, prodding. He was silent for a moment before, with his face tinged slightly red, he said, "Three."

"WOW. THREE. I'm impressed." She said drolly before laughing at him. "No need to act as if I'm going to go all mad at you for not sitting at home pining away for me. I'm not, in fact, I think you rather deserve a personal life. But… about what you said earlier. What did you mean the first woman who agreed with you?"

"That not every relationship ends up with a diamond ring and wedding bells chiming." Relena nodded before saying lightly, "Unless of course, you come home totally drunk and go around shaking reindeer collars and offering Cracker Jack prizes to the girl." Heero laughed. He **laughed**. As in a real, true, loud laugh. The kind that he brings his head back and laughs to the ceiling. And she found herself laughing with him. Duo and Hilde were in their room completely forgotten, but not lonely, not when they were busy making out (which is what comforting {where Duo is included} leads to). 


	5. 5

Chapter Four

"What do you **mean** Mariemaia's going to be your student?!" raged Lady Une, slamming her coffee mug on her desk, shattering the blasted thing, though she never noticed the coffee spilling all over the (thankfully) empty desk. "I meant exactly what I told you. She wants to learn and I am willing to—"

"NO! I won't let you corrupt her any more than she already has been!" screamed the woman; her hair flying into her face and she angrily thrust it out of her way.

"Corrupt? You think I would corrupt the child?" asked Syliana tersely as she stared hard at the woman. Was she even **daring** to imply such a thing? "I know full well what you'll do to her! She's already been used once, I will **not** let her be used again." Syliana glared at the higher-ranking officer. "How dare you." She told her quietly, slowly, and coldly. "You would do well to know that you should never mess with something you don't know much of." Une glared at the woman as she whipped out her gun, full of the silver bullets. "I know enough. I know you're planning on taking Mariemaia away from me." Syliana seethed, "Perhaps I should… it would mean a lot to her to take her away from a disgusting woman who won't even let the child learn anything about herself."

"The girl is **human** and I want her to remain that way!"

"Stop hiding from the truth! She is one of US don't you see?! She has to **learn**!"

"Damn you, you fucking **BITCH**! Stay away from her!" Syliana managed to keep her anger in check as she clenched her fists, using all her willpower not to the let the reflexive claws unsheathe. The woman could kill her there and then.

"Put the gun down, Une-sama." said a small voice, quiet and calm. They both turned to face the same red-haired nymph standing just inside the door. Once again, she had been so quiet neither of them had heard her enter, especially over the sound of their voices.

"Mariemaia, stay outside while I deal with this woman." Lady Une told her tersely, never moving her hand. "Une-sama, put the gun down, please." The little child walked towards them slowly, but her steps were calm, not faltering. She was not afraid. Syliana wondered exactly what this child was. She could never have been human, this child.

"Mariemaia, please stay outside. I need to talk to this woman about something in Preventers."

"You're lying." This was enough to make the woman put down her gun and stare at her in shock. "What?"

"You're lying, Une-sama. You don't want her to teach me."

"Marimaia, I—"

"Why?" the little girl pressed, her big blue eyes curious, but strangely empty. Syliana shivered as she looked at those eyes. They weren't the eyes of a child, a child would be bawling at the sight of her mother holding a gun to some lady's heart. This child… she'd seen too much, and perhaps it was even too late. "Mariemaia, you know very well I never let you converse with any of the Nightwalkers we have in Preventers. You disobeyed me." 

Mariemaia frowned, but there was no anger. "You did not want me to learn."

"You were already controlled by Dekim. Any one of them could make you into a pawn in their own game. I don't trust this, this—" she struggled to find a word to express just what she thought of Syliana, without shocking the little child with language. "I like her. I want her to teach me." she told Une softly and took Syliana's cold hand in her own small one. Lady Une physically flinched. "But… Mariemaia…"

"Do you want me to spend my life, always not knowing?" she asked the question innocently, but there was a sense of knowing just what she was doing. _This child is not all she appears to be,_ thought Syliana for what seemed like the thousandth time. Lady Une sighed and she put the gun slowly back into the drawer. She turned around to face the sheet of glass that was her window and she didn't see either of them in the reflection of her room. "Fine." She said quietly and never turned to face them. There was no point, she used all her willpower to wait until the door closed and the room was quiet again. She sighed, slumping slightly against the glass, pressing her cheek to it. "You want her to love you," said a slightly wistful voice behind her. She stiffened; Syliana was still there. "Why should it matter to you?" she asked bitterly, "You've obviously won her affections."

"A child like that needs to know **life**, even if she is dead." Lady Une whirled, pushing her hair furiously out of her face that had flung into it when she turned. "She never died!" she hissed, "That stupid 01 Heero Yuy pilot got it into her head that she was already dead. Dekim warped her brain so much more than we thought before. It's that bastard's entire fault. Mister Trieze never wanted his daughter to be corrupted in this way. I tried so hard to protect her from everything, and she **still** finds a way to learn about vampirism!"

"She wants to grow up, Commander. She's already not a child, she never has been. She went from age three to twenty, and you have to let her—"

"I already have." replied Une dryly waving her hand as she sank into her chair, looking defeated. "She never loved me, not even as a friend, much less a mother." Syliana smiled rather mysteriously. "You never know exactly what will happen." She made a discreet exit as Lady Une looked out the window, and she wasn't surprised when she felt the familiar wetness on her cheeks. They had appeared before, when she'd lost one she'd loved with all her heart and soul… and now she was losing a girl she thought of almost as a daughter. She shook her head, wiping away the tears. No more of that, Mariemaia wasn't going to obey to her any longer. She walked back to her desk and wiped up the spilled coffee and bits of coffee mug before sweeping all of it into the wastebasket. She grabbed the telephone and contacted those that would get those flight tickets to Sally pronto. She didn't want to think about beings even worse than vampires.

~*~*~*~

"Do you like the Commander?" asked Syliana softly. It was a repeated question, she knew, but from the conversations she'd witnessed…

"She looks after me. She loves me. But I… I cannot think of her as a mother. There's a grown-up world out there that children don't know about… and she tries so hard to hide me from it. But I want to see that grown-up world now. I don't feel like a child anymore."

"Nor are you a child. The Commander is more worried about you than most mothers I have seen in several lifetimes. She protects you more because of what you've already seen." Mariemaia looked away. "She is not my mother. My mother is dead." she told Syliana firmly. "I do not want to believe anything else anyone tells me about my family again." Syliana shrugged, the child had to learn on her own. "Then I will mind my own business and I will show you what you will need to know." She finally told the child, sitting down in a comfortable chair. "Now, what should we start off with…?" she mused to herself. Mariemaia remained silent, as was her way. Syliana sighed internally. It would take a lot to make this child spill her guts. And extracting information was something she was good at. Of course, she'd have to be less vicious to this child of course than her other… questioned people.

~*~*~*~

"Finally!" cried Sally, flopping onto the bed and yawning mightily. "This is one of the few times I have ever been happy to travel—er, semi-happy let's say." Because of course, traveling to meet up with a friend that was apparently becoming something that was bent on killing you and your kind is not a happy journey. "You know, I swear you made me carry all that was ever preordained 'heavy'." muttered Wufei half-joking as he plodded into the hotel room, loaded like a pack mule. "It's your fault you told us that we were 'too delicate to carry such things'… though I admit, that was a nice refrain from 'weak'."

"You're welcome… I think." he said, groaning as he dropped the pack to the ground and sat down on the sofa, eyeing Sally in disapproval. "Most women do not flop onto the bed and lie there letting everyone else do the work." Amber who ran into the room, stopped only to close and lock the door behind her and slap a demon ward on it, before jumping onto the bed and flopping on it, stretching, interrupted him. She made a sound deep in her throat that sounded almost like a purr as she stretched comfortably. Wufei immediately clammed up looking only a little foolish. Sally burst out laughing, laughing hard enough to make her fall from the edge of the bed (which she had been lying precariously on) and let her go falling over the edge and land with a loud "OOF!" onto the carpeted floor. She looked so incredibly **human** that Wufei couldn't helped staring. She looked different, anyone could tell, she seemed more cautious and silent most of the time, and she was so much paler… but when she laughed and let loose like this… she looked like… _One who never knew what lurked in the dark_, he finished in his own head.

Amber bounced over the gap between the two beds and took up Sally's place on the other bed managing to look silly and still move with catlike grace. He couldn't understand it. If he'd tried (which he would definitely not) he would've made a belly flop on the bed and made himself look entirely ridiculous. "You know, they're supposed to be in the same hotel now… should we go see them?" he finally asked. Sally and Amber both looked aghast. "WHAT?!" they gaped at him as if they wondered whether males were even born with a brain. "Interrupt **them**?! Are you kidding?!"

"What did I say?"

"Listen, Duo and Hilde could never be separated by anything short of a nuclear bomb—"

"That could be arranged," he muttered. "—And **hello** we're not interfering with the other two!" Wufei sighed shaking his head… all the people he'd once called his friends were obsessed with a certain 01 pilot and a former princess, present politician. They certainly loved matchmaking, especially a braided ignorant of all that revolved around them. Certainly, he found that she would be perfect for one of his best friends, but they were working out perfectly exactly the way they were and he thought leaving them to fate would work just as well.

****

BOP

"Hey!" he yelled rubbing his forehead where a shoe had been thrown at him. "What was that for?"

"That was for thinking too much." replied Sally smiling rather impishly (a surprisingly pretty expression on her too) and getting ready to have a pillow fight with Amber, stocking up as she talked. "Once in a while Sally, you will have to learn to act your age," he commented wryly as the first pillow was flung at Sally by Amber who immediately ducked out of the range of fire as Sally retaliated. "Be careful with the pillows!" squealed Amber, "We'll have to pay for them if you decide to burst one!"

"Wouldn't it be worth it!" crowed Sally as she tackled Amber and wrestled the struggling girl to the ground both of them giggling as they were tangled up into a heap of flailing limbs and pillows. Wufei had a strange desire to join the happy, laughing girls in their roughhousing, which he quelled by simply watching their movements. Amber's were quick, graceful and impulsive. Sally's were strong, fluid and perfectly controlled. Amber might be a cat, but Sally was a panther in comparison, just as swift and graceful.

****

BOP

"Hey!"

"I told you to stop thinking so much Wuffie-baby." He gaped at the sudden name and she collapsed into helpless laughter at his wide-eyed face. "Loosen up Wufei… it'll be a long time before we'll ever be able to laugh and fool around again." He found himself suddenly tackled by the older woman and wrestled to the ground before training took hold of him again and they found themselves in a position with a rather surprised Wufei on top of Sally's stomach who was lying flat on the floor. Her hair having come out of the… unique hairdo was draped over the carpet around her head like a cape.

"Damn you two, couldn't you have waited till you were alone?" teased Amber coming up to the side of the bed to look down on the two of the on the floor. "Tsk, tsk, Sally, and you said you stopped loving him the day you died." She grinned as Sally reddened and was up (depositing a rather stunned Wufei on the ground) on the bed and trying to get her hands around her friend's throat. "You're gonna get it now!" she was yelling before a knock came at the door and Wufei answered it. The manager stood in the hallway looking rather frazzled. "Excuse me sir, but I must ask you and your… friends to be a little more quiet. Your neighbors are beginning to complain." Wufei nodded, "Very sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"Yeah! Sorry about that!" yelled Amber before Sally shushed her, momentarily serious again. Wufei saw the disapproving glance into the room where the two girls sat placidly on the bed and then back at him. "No, they're not whores, and I'm not a pathetic pervert like you think." the man started and he mumbled, "Uh, I would never presume to guess things about my customers. Very sorry, uh, good night sir." He walked down the hall with quite a brisk pace and Wufei closed the door chuckling softly under his breath. Sally was raising an eyebrow. "Please tell me why all men think all women are whores?"

"Because you're both as sexy as one." He replied easily before tossing both Sally and Amber their packs. "You two can take the beds, I'll take the couch." When both girls were about to protest, he shook his head, "No arguments please, I've had worse." Sally snorted, "And you make it sound like we haven't." She shrugged, "Oh well. It's your call. I'm for the shower. Ladies first!" she immediately jumped up, climbed over Amber in the rough-and-tumble and made it into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Wufei shrugged and was about to sit down on the couch before Amber suddenly said, "You can take the other bed. I'll be fine."

"But—" Right before his eyes, she shrunk and took on the form of a silver-furred cat. "Trust me," it purred softly, "I'll be fine." The young man nodded and sat on the bed, waiting for Sally to finish in the shower. Amber watched him with vague feline curiosity. _There's more to you, vampire, than I might've given you credit for._ For the first time in a long time, Sally had acted so… full of **life**. It had been a long time, since Amber had first met her, that she saw Sally ever act like that. _What hold have you on her? What is so special about you that makes her fall head over heels in love with you again?_ She wondered to herself as she curled up in a ball of fur and fell asleep on Sally's bed. Wufei watched the snoozing little cat, and wondered just what that girl was hiding… the Firestone was supposed to have incredible power… wouldn't that affect the holder as well? He shook his head. All this stuff with magic and Nightwalkers and Hunters… it was worse than the wars.

~*~*~*~

End Chapter. A short one as my chapters go, but I couldn't dredge up any more stuff from my brain. Too many fics out there that I need to update. Hold this will do, I'm working on it! Email me. Oh yes, and **REVIEW** **ME**! I **LIKE** LOTS AND LOTS OF **REVIEWS**! Take a **hint** people!!!! ;) Ja!


	6. Not A Chapter! Please read anyway!

****

NOT A CHAPTER!

Koneko-chan says!  


Very sorry people, I am not doing too well with the updating thing. Ideas keep coming, but I've got… um… *stops to count* nine fics to work on. I bit off more than I can chew, yes I realize that. But please be patient with me, I've got a lot on my shoulders from school, school, some more school, and everything else.

Thanks all, and wait up for the next chapter, I promise it won't be long!

The only fics that I've updated recently are: Against All Odds (Harry Potter) and Restoring the Crystal Re-edited (Sailor Moon/Dragonball Z/Escaflowne). The others will follow. I PROMISE.

Thanks all!


	7. 7

Chapter Five

Koneko-chan says!

Gomen, gomen, gomen all of you for the short chapter! But that's just because I needed to update and I couldn't think of anything else for this fic… (I've five other fics that I'm working on… I'd say I bit off more than I can chew) and I figured no one wants to wait forever to find out the ending. And yeah, yeah, about Sally, Amber and Wufei… well, what else am I supposed to write about them doing? Playing checkers? But that's okay, I'll figure out something more… my brains **less** dried out these days…

~*~*~*~

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Let go of me! Hey, I'm being serious here—ahhhh!!!!!" The shadowed figure landed a solid punch on the gangster's face and watched with disgust as he fell into unconsciousness. How pathetic… to fall after one hit. He brought the man's jugular to his mouth, puncturing it with his elongated fangs and lapped at the blood that pumped out onto his neck. He then brought his head away from the man's neck forcefully wiping any left off his lips. "Your turn." He said to the girl in the side. She was rolling her eyes, "You're a quick one." She commented before replacing the guy at the job of collecting any of the blood still coming from his throat. She pushed him away when she had had enough to sustain her and pushed him away. She leaned back down and kissed the place where the blood was running and the twin wounds disappeared instantly. "There you go… all better." She licked the rest of the blood off her lips before smiling rather unsteadily at Heero. "Should we leave now?" He was still grimacing, "You know, you didn't have to **kiss** him." he complained (amazingly, still with that monotone… how does he do that?), "It would've healed a long time before he woke up." Relena grinned, "What, jealous?"

"Of a drunk tough guy? Not likely."

"Well… I think we should leave now, though…"

"Yeah, he'll just blame it on the alcohol." He kicked the beer bottle against the man's leg with a grimace. "Let's go." The two black-clothed creatures of the night disappeared out into the darkness. A face behind them was smiling, swathed in the shadows surrounding it, and a unholy red light was gleaming in its eyes. The figure walked towards the slumped figure of the man they'd left behind and looked down at it, in disgust. "Relena… you will be one of us, whether you like it or not." The voice seemed as if there was no difference in tone. It could've been either male or female; it was impossible to tell. A grisly and twisted white hand reached down, and with incredible strength, snapped the man's neck. _They had no reason to keep this man alive… he deserves to die like all mortal scum._ A black cloak swirled around the form's feet as it slowly drifted, more than walked, away. It would go back to watching… there was much that still needed to be learned.

"Nice to see you too." Sally said grinning as she leaned against the doorframe. Hilde and Duo still looked shell-shocked. "Sally? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you four, what else?" she gestured to Wufei and Amber staying a little behind her. "You know him, this is Amber… we're on our way to find Cathrine."

Duo ushered them in, before their conversation attracted any attention from other people in the hall. When they'd gravitated to the couch, and the two chairs (all of you know what's in those hotel rooms), Hilde finally asked. "So why are you looking for Trowa's sister?"

Sally eyed her curiously. Duo hadn't told her anything about his being a vampire last time she knew… what if that still hadn't changed?

"Is it about her being a half-daemon?" asked Duo bluntly. Sally blinked in surprise. "Oh… so she knows."

"Yeah… it's kind of hard to keep a secret when you've lost your ring." 

Sally half-stood up in amazement. "You **WHAT**?! NO ONE could be that dimwitted to lose **that**!"

"Hey, I don't know what happened, but I got it back." Duo said defensively, showing the wood-and-onyx ring. "Gabriel had it."

"Gabriel—you mean Relena's nephew? How the hell would **he** have gotten it?"

"Apparently Relena gave it to him as a 'birthday present'."

Sally paled. "Relena… no, that can't be a good sign."

"No it isn't Major Sally, but that's the truth." Relena's surprisingly calm voice filtered through the air as Heero and Relena entered. Sally half-smiled, "You know we're close enough that you don't have to address me by a past title." Relena shrugged, "When you've got a habit…" she shrugged, ending it there, and plunked herself down on the single bed. She eyed it warily, "So… that's the noise I heard all night." Hilde and Duo immediately looked away as she laughed. Heero, sat down on the bed, not as close to her as Hilde and Duo were, but close enough to provide emotional support (the irony, the irony…)

"So… I suppose you know what's happening to me?"

"You're turning into a Hunter, I was told… and when you do, you'll kill us all." Sally replied, emotionlessly as if stating something from a textbook. Relena bit her lip and grimaced, "Well, I don't want to think I'll end the world on my own… but yes, I am becoming a Hunter. And that's not the best thing to become."

Amber was behaving rather curiously. She kept eyeing the door and the windows, as if trying to find a way to escape, as he clutched the pendant at her neck. Relena looked at her in wonder, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing…" replied Amber hastily. Sally intervened, "She's fought a Hunter before, when she was still very young, and the Hunter one of the strongest ever." Relena looked at her closely, images from the dream coming back to her. "The little cat…" she whispered, her eyes taking in Amber's appearance. Amber's eyes widened and then her claws unsheathed, ready to pounce if Sally hadn't grabbed her arm. "Stop that!"

"She's the Hunter! She's the one who wanted the Stone!"

Relena was still sitting as still as a statue, her eyes empty now as the images came quicker, and with them, the rage, the hatred, and the hopelessness. "The Stone… the Fire Stone. A little girl stole it… clawed the robe and ran away…" she shook her head, her eyes tightly shut as she held her head in her hands. "Killing that woman who started the alarm, the guard…" she burst into tears in front of all of them and hid her face in her hands. Amber was sitting still again, but eyeing Relena warily, ready to pounce if she made one wrong move. Heero came closer, tentatively, and was dumbstruck when she literally threw herself into his chest and began sobbing. "I could feel it, how his neck snapped underneath my hand, how he dropped to the ground… and that girl with a torch shoved into her…" she managed to get out from the muffled sobs in Heero's shirt. Heero stroked her hair rather uncomfortably before looking up at the others. Amber was still watching the girl suspiciously and staying on her guard. There was something not quite right about that girl, it had been proven well enough… and she didn't like the thought of keeping the Fire Stone anywhere near this strange girl. A sudden shrill sound sent all of them on edge.

"What was that?" asked Sally slowly, hand tight on Amber's arm (who had gone close to hysterics, she was already so tense). Wufei narrowed his eyes, "There's a Hunter in this building… maybe more than one." The shrill sounds kept sounding and they could hear other people in the other rooms beginning to complain. "Dammit, I was hoping for a good night's sleep." muttered Duo as Hilde (who had been dozing lightly on his shoulder) woke up with a start at the first shrill sound. 

"They're coming for me," realized Relena as the scrabbling on the story above them gave way to terrified screams. The sounds were so horrid that she covered her face in her hands, shuddering as wave after wave of some hidden glee at this mutilation that she couldn't even see swept over her. "This is not happening to me…" she moaned, clutching her face in her hands… her nails dug into the softness of her own flesh, and she was pressing hard enough to almost draw blood. Someone wrenched her hands away and began shaking her as she stared at the world in a haze of red that clouded everything. She needed blood… she needed to kill… she needed to destroy.

"GET **OFF** ME!" she shrieked, tearing herself away from Heero's startled hold on her as she leaped over the bed, inches away from slamming into the wall and ran to the door. She cursed the locks on it as, with a single swipe of her iron claws, sliced through them and wrenched the door open. They were after her now, all of them, all of them, except for that girl, that Amber girl that she couldn't trust, and yelling for her to stop. But she couldn't stop. The one sane part of her directed her away from them, to find someone else to kill, to drink, to ease the bloodlust.

A little boy had run out into the hallway, the door that he'd exited had been ripped off one of its hinges and hung ajar. She could hear shrieks inside the room, and the little boy looked frightened out of his wits. As soon as she approached, he ran for her. "Please Miss Lady! Mommy and Daddy are inside and these scary people are attacking them! Help them!" He was clutching at her leg now, begging her. "Please! I don't want my mommy and daddy to die!"

"You won't have time to watch them die." She said in a strange voice that wasn't entirely hers. Some voice in the back of her head screaming at her to let go, that he was only a child… but she couldn't stop. She grabbed his arm, wrenching him up and bringing her mouth to his neck. His eyes widened in fear and he wrestled briefly, trying to get away. But it was impossible. She was a creature of the night, her heightened senses, heightened strength, and heightened power were more than a match for a little boy. She was about to deliver the killing blow, when someone backhanded her face and sent her flying to the wall, the blow stopping her just in time. She was momentarily stunned, and her grip on the boy loosened. He sent a terrified kick into her gut and fell to the ground, crawling as quickly as he could away from her. He couldn't seem to be able to walk.

"How dare you." she hissed, glaring at Heero, wiping at a thin line of blood that was trickling down to her chin. "You don't hurt little kids like that, and you know it. You shouldn't cause such a scene like this." His face was stony, harsh, and cruel.

"Oh look, the big, bad, Gundam pilot's getting mad at me for doing something to one stupid little kid that he's done to so many people all over the world. Don't you **DARE** get mad at me for this." her claws were unsheathed and she glared at him. Out of nowhere, a silvery blur leaped at Relena, and the vampire, being distracted by Heero, didn't turn around before the thing had impacted. She crashed to the floor, swiping at the thing on top of her, vaguely recognizing her as Amber, half-cat already, and her claws raking at her, millimeters away from her face as she held her off, but barely. "You…" hissed Amber, "you're the one who tried to take the Stone. You killed one of the high priestesses and you tried to hurt me. I'll kill you before you ever have the chance."

"You're never going to know little girl. I would've killed you that night if I had known you would meddle so much into our plans… I would've had that Stone, and this world would've been dead by now!" the strange voice Amber had heard so long ago, the voice that had sounded totally inhuman, not male nor female, sounded from Relena's throat and the girl about her looked shocked. "It **is** you then." she hissed, certain now. This ex-princess, ex-politician, and pacifist was the one who had wreaked havoc on the temple those years ago… there was no more doubt. Amber was down on her, attacking like a rabid animal, wanting the kill now, just as much as Relena… no, that demon, from long ago.

__

'I… where am I?'

{You mean you don't know?}

The petite blonde woman turned around, struggling to look for someone else in that place. It was a nice place, she was hip-deep in water, which felt warm against her naked body. She smiled, closing her eyes as she luxuriated in there. She would stay here… it was nice and quiet… and safe.

{Your friends are out there you know.} Her eyes opened, looking around again. Where was that voice coming from? She frowned… she didn't like it. It made her nice little haven suddenly different, changed, not as peaceful or as safe. She didn't like the mention of those people who called them her friends.

{They're fighting, and they're hurting because of you.}

'Who are you?' There was no answer, and she hugged herself. The warm water had suddenly lost most of its warmth, and she shivered, watching it as small webs of red began to span outwards from her body. Blood? Her blood?

{You can help them you know… you can stop hiding…}

'I am not hiding!' the water was running even colder now and she was shivering. Why was it so cold?

{You're taking refuge in your own mind while that demon has taken over the rest of you.}

'The demon? But I thought…'

{You thought you were the demon.}

'Yes…' she was looking for a place to get out of the water… it was very cold now, too cold to stay in it. She wanted out.

{You don't want yourself to hide inside your mind either… you want to get out, get your body back… get your life back.}

'Then who is the demon?'

{I am you. I do not know.} the voice faded as a sliver of light seemed to appear in the air in front of her. She shivered reaching for it, hesitating only when she looked back at the sea of water, steam appearing to rise from it again, tempting her. The sliver widened and she reached her hand through it, pausing to look back once more at her safe little haven. Then, sighing, she stepped through.

Amber gasped as she felt a violent tremor run through the body beneath her. _What in the world—?_ She found stared at Relena, whose attacks had stopped completely. She backed away slowly, always watching her, looking horrified as she saw bruises appear out of nowhere on her skin… she knew for sure **she** had not been responsible for that. She was certain when a line of blood suddenly appeared down her temple from a new cut. A shriek came from the girl's open mouth and Amber gasped when she found Heero's hand on her shoulder. He'd been attempting to stop the wild catfight but it was quite impossible. The girls' claws had raked several scratches into his arms as he watched Relena in mixed worry and horror.

__

So the little princess finally shows her face. The voice was mocking as Relena stepped through the tear in her mind. She faced the strangely familiar voice, claws already unsheathed to face whomever was behind her. Who she faced made her gasp with shock. It was her sister-in-law. Lucrezia.

Not expecting me **Sister**? the words coming from her mouth could now be safely deemed as mocking. What was happening? 'Lucrezia?' Her voice was hesitant even as the older woman approached. She felt suddenly awkward, as if she was not in control of her own self anymore…. Everything just felt **wrong**. A meaningless title. sneered the horrible visage of the woman's face. 'What's happening? Why are you invading my mind?!' The sneering face laughed at her as Lucrezia lunged at her. Put the pieces together little girl… you've been a Queen… think. The fight that ensued could hardly be deemed as fair. If Wufei had been present, he would've turned away at the horrendous way they were fighting, the lack of humanity, the lack of honor. Clawing, kicking, wrenching at each other's hair, punching… anything to inflict harm on the other. 

Heero was holding Relena as her shaking body continued to bleed of its own accord, cuts and gashes opening themselves all over her body. Amber was watching in horror as the petite blonde drenched herself in her own blood. And nothing could be done. They could only watch as she slowly lost the blood that she had previously taken from a drunkard on the street. She would die a second time.

__

Relena kept the outwardly appearance of being totally enraged, but with the part of her mind that was still her own, and not corrupted by this monster, whether it was her brother's wife or not, she was racking it for any clue of what to do. What weapon did she have that could combat this woman?

You're hesitating all of a sudden, little princess… I wonder why. the mocking voice was grating on her nerves and she barely resisted the urge to rip the woman's throat out. She knew very well what this would do to her own body. Every damn scratch she was getting was probably happening to her in real life. Then **damn** where was this stupid woman's body? Would she ever wear down and just **leave** her alone?! 

{Think of who you are and what she is.}

The voice in her head came out of nowhere. Who she was? Well, who am I? Relena Peacecraft-Dorlian, vampire, priestess of light, half-Hunter… PRIESTESS! That was it! She bit her lip in concentration. It was a risk, she hadn't done this in so long… would she still remember how to do this? And could she survive the aftershock? Would she be able to dispell this demon, no matter who's face it had?

Is the little princess scared? taunted the woman, her face twisting into a mask of hatred. Because you should be… you cannot sop the fact that you're one of us!

'I'll do whatever I can… INFINITE IGNITIUM!' she barely remembered even those words, her life as a priestess had been over for so long, even as the invisible protective charms that surrounded her. And she had always had a harder time spellcasting, even when she was still living in the temple. The ball of fire that erupted from the 'ground' around the demon was scorching hot. The shrieking that commenced was unworldly, and terrifying. She was almost propelled to run towards the fire of her own creation and save that demon, burning to death in its place. But that was only its power over her… she could handle it. She could do it…

But as the fireball burned, it slowly burned away her own life energy. 'When will it just **die**?!' she muttered to herself tiredly, almost dropping in exhaustion. {Hold on… hold on…} With a last spurt of the flames, it disappeared, and the demon that had been inside crumbled into ashes…

Relena gasped as she took a deep breath, returning to consciousness, in Heero's arms. She groaned about as soon as she had finished drawing breath. The pain was still there. "Ohh, I feel like I've been in a fight with a bobcat," she muttered trying to move. "Don't." Heero's voice bridged no argument as he began the walk back to their room. She protested weakly, as Amber watched her suspiciously. "What about those Hunters? What about… what happened to that little boy? Is he hurt?!"

"No, he's **not** hurt because Heero was quick enough to keep you from killing him you **bitch**!" the cat spat out, glaring at her. "What are you talking about?" demanded Relena, struggling to stand on her own two feet to confront her. But Heero was more than a match for her, and continued to carry her. "I mean that if it wasn't for him, you would've killed him and ripped out his throat!" replied Amber, and she looked ready to rip apart Relena's throat herself.

"No… I could never have done that… the demon!" she remembered suddenly. "I remember! It was…" she became silent, even as Heero strained to hear her. "Who was it?"

"Noin… It was Lucrezia." She winced as she said it. "I was fighting her, in my mind… and I… I think I killed her with a fireball."

"A **what**?!" gaped Amber, suddenly amazed. "A Hunter can **never** touch fire!"

"Which is why I threw one at her… it hurt like hell to do it though."

"But were **you** able to throw a fireball?! You're a Hunter yourself!" Relena gave her a wry grin. "I'm one of those know-all-do-all people. I was a priestess in the temple of light."

Amber's mouth hung open in amazement. This girl? The Vice Foreign Minister, the girl everyone pasted on their billboards, and bedroom walls had been a priestess in the temple? The same one she had been in?

"Well how ironic then." She said, not letting her guard down. "It figures that the priestesses that were bound to keep Hunters from attacking and stealing the Fire Stone is actually trying to steal it."

"I never wanted that stupid rock. Personally, I found it dangerous to keep in the temple where everyone knew where it was… thank goodness it's still in safe hands. The Temple of Light almost disbanded after its disappearance though…" she looked rather thoughtful before Heero shook his head at her. "Talk later. We're fixing your up."

"But what about those Hunters?" she asked again her previously unanswered question.

"They're gone for now… and if they come back, the others are more than capable of disposing of them." He sounded so **cold**. So **militaristic**. She fell silent. He brought her back to their room, Amber trailing along, still suspicious. It was with practiced ease that Heero Yuy bandaged the girl's wounds, the others still driving the Hunters off. Relena listened to Amber's recreation of what had happened and she shook her head, for once looking vulnerable. "I did… all that?" she asked, her throat dry. She'd almost killed that little boy? She held her head in her hands as Heero began working on her legs. "Someone shoot me now," she moaned, dead serious. "I don't want to be hurting little kids like him…"

"Don't ask unless you want to receive." Heero said, slipping back into his habit of complete seriousness, where no light banter would ever issue from his lips. Relena looked down at his upturned face. One of her bandaged hands came up to rest on his face, "Heero, what am I going to do?"

"What are **we** gonna do little Missy, you're not in this all on your own y'know," quipped Duo's tired voice from the doorway. Relena looked up, her hand slipping down from Heero's face and back into her own lap. Heero found himself resisting the urge to follow that hand's example had and lie his head down in her lap with it.

"Thanks… I think… but you know, this is just so…"

"Dangerous? Hey we've been screwing danger since we were kids, I think we can handle it." Duo, always the light-hearted one, was a grand help to keeping Relena relatively cheerful and the others were grateful for it. There was no accounting how far off the deep end Relena could go if they didn't keep her in check.

"What happened to the… Hunters?" she asked softly, tortured blue eyes looking up at her longtime friends.

"Some ran off, most of them we got rid of." Wufei gave the stats coolly and Relena bit her lip at just how nonchalant he seemed by killing someone… _Not someone. Something. One of them tried to kill **you**._

"When I become a Hunter… will you kill me?"

"Lena!" Hilde exclaimed coming forward, "That's a horrible thing to think!"

"But it's something that'll probably happen… what would you do then?"

__

What **would** we do? Asked everyone in turn to themselves. The rest of the night was spent in silence, the hotel almost completely vacated due to the Hunters' appearance. Relena found herself swept up in a troubled sleep, dreams that seemed so real, they seemed like they'd happened before… but she had never known any of the things that had happened, could never dream up the plans forming in her dreams… 

~*~*~*~

"Good work. Would you like to stop now?" Syliana panted slightly, sweat gleaming on her forehead as she looked down at the younger girl. She had been teaching the younger girl battle techniques using her amplified abilities she had due to her vampirism. "This goes to show how much you can accomplish," she commented cocking her head towards the punching bag dummy… or what had been a punching bag dummy. It had literally gotten the stuffing knocked out of him.

The red-haired child was gasping for air and there was sweat on her brow creating a "glow" on her face. Syliana smiled softly, the little girl tried hard, she couldn't help it if her delicate frame wasn't perfect for hardcore battling. "I—I want to keep going… but I can't keep going…" she gasped, looking sorrowful. She didn't like being so pitifully slender, especially when she wanted to be strong, like Syliana, and her… guardian. A small, sharp needle of pain shot through her when she thought of the woman who'd tried as hard as she could for the last few years to be a mother for her. It hadn't worked, she couldn't think of Lady Une, try as she might, that she was her mother. Her mother was dead, there was no other. There COULD be no other.

"You are doing quite well despite what you think. Not many students of mine last this long… you're good, little Steel-claw."

Mariemaia smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow as her breathing slowed and she had stopped panting. Syliana sat down beside her on the floor, leaning against a wall and drinking from a water bottle, cooling herself. She passed it to the smaller girl who drank from it thirstily. "Do you drink?"

"Water?" asked Mariemaia confused still holding the water bottle.

"No, drink, as in blood."

"I… don't know how, not without killing someone… Duo-san couldn't teach me much." Syliana grinned wryly, "I should think so… he never was much of a student… the boy as a teacher brings shivers down my spine."

"He tried to show me something that had to do with his ring, he lit his hair on fire." Mariemaia smiled at the sudden image that appeared in her head of the panicking Duo until Heero Yuy had grabbed him, and shoved him under the sink tap, putting out the flames and telling him to shut up.

"And I suppose he was trying to prove the ring could keep him safe from the sun. Fool, he could've just walked outside."

"It was nighttime and he wanted to make some sort of light."

"Ah." Syliana laughed, "I figured something like this would happen. Heero Yuy was a much more adept learner."

Mariemaia smiled again, her small, empty smile. Syliana changed the subject, "The Commander hasn't come by… I figured she'd like to see what you were doing."

"She's hurt." replied Mariemaia matter-of-factly. So the child knew.

"And…?"

"Do you think I should apologize to her for wanting to learn?"

"I think you should apologize to her for being so ungrateful to the woman who's raised you and loved you as her own." For the first time since she'd seen the girl, a small hint of doubt crept in the large pale blue eyes. Perhaps maybe a little guilty? "Am I ungrateful?" she asked, half to Syliana, half to herself. "Am I?"

"I don't think I can answer that question for you. You have to do it on your own." Mariemaia frowned, her small brow furrowed as she thought hard. She liked Lady Une, she thought her as close as a Mother she could ever have now. Her own mother she could only dimly remember. Always laughing, and she had short golden hair like Relena-sama's that had been so much fun to take in her small hands and watch it shine in the sun. Anneliese Une was… family.

Syliana watched the realization hit the girl so suddenly that she raised her eyebrows. How badly had this Dekim character warped this delicate child's mind?

"When's Mother's Day?" the sudden question broke through her thoughts as quickly as a bullet shattered glass. Syliana blinked, trying to remember mortal celebration days… "Two days from now I believe." Mariemaia had a small hopeful look on her face. "Can you take me to the mall for some shopping?"

Syliana blinked, she barely remembered how to even drive a mortal's vehicle… she'd been so accustomed to flying on "wings of night" that she'd almost forgotten. Perhaps it would be like riding a bicycle. She grinned anyway, "If you can find the road map, I'll find the keys."

She saw Mariemaia smile, a real, eye-to-eye smile similar to a smile she'd seen the child had smiled in an old photograph of her and her mother. Trowa Barton, the real Trowa Barton had been one of her acquaintances. She had never particularly liked him, and had to very carefully keep from ripping his throat out. But that wasn't the point. What was, was that maybe she was gaining some headway.

~*~*~*~

End of Chapter. I'm **SO** sorry! I haven't updated in **so** long and I've hardly made any headway, with exams and all. 5 classes a day, no lunch period, no time in between to eat, it's tiring. But that's okay, the school system knows best… (I guess…) Oh well, so sorry, hope you like the chapter. REVIEW ME! Please? Thank you.


	8. 8

Chapter Six

Koneko-chan says!

Hope you liked the previous chapter, I was stuck in a rut there. In this one, about the gods and goddesses. Though most of what I write remains truthful, I have stretched the truth in some places. For instance, there is no such recollection of a gem hidden in the core of the moon, and Selene was said to already have a love. But the man will sleep on and on forever… so, you get the point right? Guess what? I have **three** muses! (*shrugs* So I'm very greedy.) Let me introduce them!

*gorgeous purple velvet curtains open to a stage and the lights flare on. In the center, in the spotlight is the chibi, ultra kawaii chibi-Relena!*

Chibi-Relena: *smiles cutely* Hajinimashta!

Crowd: *in unison* Awwwww…

Stefani: *wearing a sparkling sequined gown like Vanna White* *poses* Ladies and gentlemen, our one and only Chibi-Relena!

Chibi-Relena: *smiles and waves some more*

Stefani: And next up… our own wonderful Heero-chan!

*drumroll*

*nothing happens*

Stefani: *clears throat pointedly*

*nothing happens*

Stefani: *abandons pose and stomps towards the wings of the stage, heads up the stairs where, of course, Heero is standing at the balcony watching Relena* *drags him down* *pulls him on the stage* *resumes pose*

Heero-chan: Omae o korosu. *clicks safety off gun*

Stefani: *glares*

Heero-chan: *glares back*

Stefani: *wishes she'd shoved her muse in a CHIBI Heero*

Chibi-Relena: *pouts* *glares* *snaps fingers* 

***POOF***

Chibi-Relena: *is now life-size Relena* *glares at Heero-chan* Heero… *warningly*

Heero-chan: *puts gun away and manages to still look empty-faced while Relena has her arm in his as she waves to the crowd*

Crowd: Awww! *crowd has no memory, never remembers one or more of them would be shot by one half of the adorable couple a few seconds ago*

Stefani: And now, last but not least, our own wonderful Nanashi!

*drumroll*

Nanashi: *walks out* …

Stefani: *sweatdrops* Er… okay, well uh, LET'S GIVE A HAND TO MY WONDERFUL MUSES!!!!!!!!

Crowd: …

Someone In The Back: SHOW US HOW GOOD THEY ARE!!

Relena: *grabs Heero-chan's gun* *shoots jellybeans at SITB* *calmly hands it back*

Stefani: …

Stefani: ON WITH THE SHOW!

~*~*~*~

The Meeting Place was full of, not only Valkyries but of Gods, Goddesses, Angels and the like from every religion and culture there was. Several vampires were present, as could be seen. Cathrine had never felt so insignificant as she followed Aoi blindly, her eyes roving as she watched ancient Mayan gods chatting comfortably with ancient Greek gods, Roman goddesses flirting with the Angels of Christianity (and failing) and so on and so on. Finally, their small party was seated on one large couch-like chair and they awaited the final speaker. At last an old man, a God, stood on the pearly raised platform and addressed the grand hall that was literally full enough so that several Angels had taken a stationary position sitting sideways on the gargoyles that lined the domed high ceiling. The gargoyles didn't seem to mind.

It was Zeus who stood there, old as he was, he was well muscled and his eyes still had the vivacity of youth. His voice was loud and strong and when he spoke, there was power in his words. "We are all here to discuss a new Enemy." he began, "The Hunters that have attacked the world that we all protect and have tormented our worshippers have finally come to challenge us. All they need is the Fire Stone. If they manage to find it and lay their hands on it, we might very well lose to them." He suddenly looked sad for a moment, "One goddess, the goddess Selene was taken by them, taken and stripped of all goodness long ago, and now she is their Mistress, their Guardian, and the one that gives them all power." As suddenly, the expression slid off his face and he looked as stern as he had been minutes before, "And so now a war will be declared, a War of the Gods that has not been waged since I was in full power. We will have to find the Fire Stone and we will have to keep it safe. Only then can we keep these Hunters at bay."

"Only at bay?! We can annihilate all of them!" bellowed a man dressed in red and looking ready to kill everyone and all. A Goddess sitting behind Cathrine muttered under her breath, "And Aphrodite wonders why she's the only one screwing around with him." Cathrine had to keep herself from smiling. This was a serious meeting after all.

Zeus nodded recognition to this outburst, and continued on. "The Valkyries are to attack first since the Hunters are already beginning to surround the Gates. They will fight first… the Hunters are not singularly not that powerful, but when they attack at night, and with the added power of Selene's strength…"

Athena, who had been pronounced the new Goddess of the Moon along with being Goddess of Wisdom, stood, her gray eyes flashing. "I have enough power in me to overcome Selene's power, I do not see how we could not win this even if they gained the Fire Stone."

"You have forgotten Selene's crystal."

Athena's eyes widened, "You… you mean she has it?"

"Yes." Zeus's eyes were grave, "She found it buried at the core of the moon and took it for herself and her new 'children'. She has the power of Night. If she takes also the power of Day…" he turned to Helios, God of the Sun, who rode his fiery chariot across the sky each day, and also at Apollo, the Golden God. "If either of you follow her…" he shook his head, "That would be almost as bad as they taking the Fire Stone. With the Stone they do not fear fire, with one of you… they will not fear the daylight." The two looked rather grim as all turned to stare at them. Which was worse, the Hunters getting the Stone, or the Hunters getting one of the two of them? They knew where the two gods were… but how could they find the Stone in time?

At that moment, Cathrine got a message on her pager. She glanced at the silently vibrating thing in surprise… she never knew it could work in Heaven… not that she'd tried it out much. Quickly, she glanced at the message, Trowa looking over her shoulder at it. The two siblings read it, their eyes widening as they looked up and stared at each other. Out of nowhere, Cathrine shot to her feet, yelling as loud as she could, "I know where the Stone is!"

Everyone, including Aoi, sitting next to her turned to stare at the newly appointed Valkyrie and Zeus looked stern. "What do you know about the Stone, girl, and why do you choose now to reveal it?" Cathrine held back her annoyance and she held her pager high, "I just got a message from Lady Une. Apparently, a girl, a previous girl-priestess from the Temple of Light has the Fire Stone. They're on their way to find me." she told him, reading off the electronic device as she spoke.

Zeus frowned, "You cannot go back, the Gates are almost infested with Hunters, you can't possibly be able to go there and back with a child and the Stone through enemy lines!" Cathrine frowned, he may be a god but being such an infuriating know-it-all grated on her nerves. "Do you have a better plan?"

To everyone's surprise, Zeus laughed. "I like your fire, girl." Quatre recognized the look on Zeus's face and he stood up beside Cathrine, placing a hand around her waist protectively. "We'll all go then." The older man looked him over and sighed before a sharp look from his wife made him turn back to the subject at hand. "So. We have a temporary decision… and since this new Valkyrie has decided to return to Earth and find the Stone, this Meeting is at an end."

Aoi stood up beside Cathrine, a small smile flitting on her lips, "Had I thought of ever using one of these mortal instruments, I might very well have made my way up to goddessdom millennia ago."

"Pardon me?"

"Did it never occur to you that if you should find and bring back the one thing that could lead to our destruction, you would be allowed to receive the training to be a goddess, not just a Valkyrie?"

Cathrine laughed aloud at that, "Me? Aoi, it's hard enough to believe me to be a Valkyrie, it'll be even harder to think of a goddess mucking out the animal cages in a circus!"

"You'd be surprised how normal our lives are in the mortal world are, if we choose to live in it."

Cathrine shrugged, still smiling, her eyes dancing with mirth, "Still… it **is** rather funny."

"Hilarity can be spared until after we've accomplished our mission." She sounded so serious, almost like Heero in his past Gundam days. "All right then. Let's get moving… tell me, do we Valkyries use guns now?"

"Guns?!" Aoi looked horrified at the idea. Cathrine shrugged, "Hey, I'm a modern girl." Aoi bit her lip and frowned at her but she said reluctantly, "Some of the younger Security Daemons use armaments of that kind nowadays…"

Cathrine grinned as Trowa perked up. He hadn't been looking forward to using a sword like his sister. "Great! Let's get the guys something they can actually **use**." Aoi led the way mumbling, "They can't use a **sword**?"

"Hey, loosen up Aoi-girl, it's been a few centuries since you last popped into the world for a battle… things have changed." It was Dorothy, making Aoi blink, "Are you implying that I'm old-fashioned?"

Dorothy grinned, "Oh yes, you're a senile old grandma who can't even fire a gun!"

Aoi looked outraged for a moment before she realized that Dorothy was simply teasing and she laughed as she caught the tail end of the joke. "I see. Well, you might learn something of sword-fighting, and I might learn something about shooting."

"Well then, lead on!" Dorothy grinned over at Cathrine, and the redhead winked back at her. Cathrine was rather proud of her friend, not many people could address Aoi's faults and live through it.

As it turned out, the two security daemons when they arrived were both willing to shell out the gun, and literally almost begged to go along. They, in their words, were "literally dying with boredom with the things in Heaven" and they "needed **some** excitement". So, it was soon decided that the two of them, Jared and Keith (they'd updated their out-dated names of course, unlike Aoi) were coming along for the joyride.

"So, where're we headed?" asked Keith, brushing back longs strands of dark red hair that escaped the ponytail at the nape of his neck. Cathrine shrugged, "I'll have to ask the commander."

"The who?"

"Preventers' commander… oh never mind, you'll learn soon enough." Keith flashed her his dazzling smile, "As long as some pretty lady's the one who teaches me."

Aoi groaned as she slapped Keith in the back of his head, "I think it time for you to quit flirting. She is already with a boy."

Cathrine laughed, tugging Quatre (who'd been silently frowning) beside her, "**This** boy in fact." 

Keith's smile reappeared on his lips again, "Not trying to come on to your girl, just so you know. Heart's already been stolen by **this** lovely enchantress." he gestured to Aoi who rolled her eyes, looking away.

Cathrine's eyes lit up, "Ohhhhh, even straight-arrow Aoi's caught a guy's eye!"

"Oh, do be quiet." Aoi said nothing more as they approached the gates. It was time to pass through the Hunters' offense lines.

Selling rowboats on Pluto would probably be easier.

~*~*~*~

"Turn here." Mariemaia instructed, looking up from the map briefly before looking back down at it. Syliana hadn't driven for a while, and it showed… Mariemaia thanked the gods that they hadn't hit anything yet.

"Right or left."

"Left."

"Left?"

"Mmhm." She knew very well what saying "right" would do. She'd made that mistake a few times earlier before. They turned left. And they were there. Finally.

Syliana got out of the car on shaky legs. "Never. Never again." she swore to Mariemaia, who giggled despite herself. "We need to drive the car back though." Syliana winked with a sly smile on her face, "I'll get some hot guy to drive it for me."

"That's dangerous."

Syliana raised an eyebrow, tapping a finger on the girl's nail. "Dangerous? Think again, you or him?" The little girl got the point, and the two of the entered the world of a shopping mall.

And instantly, a girl with long black hair pulled into two pigtails ran towards them, shoving flyers into their hands and babbling on and on about some sale or other. The two of them nodded slowly before walking away from the girl, now babbling to someone else. Mariemaia tugged at the older woman's hand, "Is there something wrong with her voice?"

"I think she just purposely made it squeaky." replied the Spanish lady, looking around for something that seemed to fit the commander. What would the woman want, really? She had no idea. "So… what do you think she'll like?"

"She likes roses…" replied Mariemaia thoughtfully.

"Roses, huh? Seems to me, you do too." Mariemaia nodded, "They were my father's favorite."

"Well then, we will find her several roses along with the present, okay?"

"Okay."

And they were off, looking through store windows in search of something. "Scarves? Hats? Socks?" Syliana blinked, "Socks?" she reread the sign in wry fascination. "These stores actually believe mothers want to receive socks for Mother's Day?"

"I think they're desperate."

"I agree." Syliana muttered as she shook her head at a young freckled boy who was handing out even more flyers. "And all the environmentalists wonder what happens with all their poor trees."

"So you think them blind as well as oblivious?"

"That about sums it up, yes." Syliana eyed a rather handsome young man saunter past with an admiring eye, before she steeled herself back to the job at hand. Which was finding a gift for a woman she didn't even like… too much. She had to admit, she could understand the woman's pain, but she'd always thought that loving someone, anyone, was foolish. Either they left you or betrayed you, or you did so to them. She turned her attention away from those grim matters, and returned to perusing the variety in the stores.

The Spanish vampiress, often whispered before in her homeland as the Black Rose of Europe often wondered at her. It seemed impossible, that she could be known as a woman who actually cared about the feelings of a woman she didn't not even like very much, or the feelings of a little child who had drunk too much from a cup of bitterness.

~*~*~*~

Relena woke up slowly, her eyes squeezed shut to keep out the beams of sunlight. Priestess though she was, the two parts, vampiress and Huntress belonged in the night and she still managed to be rather grudging to go out in the daylight. She shuddered, rolling over, away from the patch of sunlight shining through the window, and with an undignified shriek, she fell with a thump off the side of the bed. A strangled "OOF!" erupted from her as she thrashed in the self-made cocoon of blankets and sheets.

"Need a little help?" asked her roommate dryly, and she looked up with a blush staining her cheeks at the shirtless Heero Yuy looking down on her from the other bed. "No, I'm fine… in a… minute…" she muttered in between thrashes as she finally escaped the tightly wrapped sheets. "Phew!" she muttered, standing up and straightening her clothes. Favoring the shorts and tank top, she slept often in it and this trip was no exception. She raked her eyes up and down from Heero's sleep-rumpled hair, to his big blue eyes, all the way down to his feet. Raising an eyebrow, she commented, "Don't I feel overdressed."

Heero shrugged, reaching over the bed to the chair on the other side and grabbing his shirt. Slipping it on, he asked her, "Better?" Relena smiled, "On you? I'd say the same if you were wearing a burlap sack." She shrugged, "But then, even you are above doing that."

He smiled softly, "Maybe when we sort all this out with your 'Huntressdom' I'll try, just to gauge your reaction."

"Just try it," she wrinkled her nose, "On second thought, don't try it. Just because." No doubt about it, this conversation was on a fast track to flirtation.

"It'll give you something to look forward to."

"Just try it."

"Or you'll do what? Bite me?" he asked, his eyes showing a flash of humor, although all this was said as bluntly as he always spoke. Relena smiled, flashing fangs, "Perhaps I'll have to." She winced suddenly, sheathing her fangs quickly, rubbing her closed mouth. "Ow… that actually hurt," she mumbled thoughtfully, "that's never happened before…"

"What hurt?"

"My fangs… they… hurt to come out, and to leave out." Heero nodded silently, thoughtfully, watching her closely before seeming to shake himself out of his thoughts. "Unless you want to, I'll take the shower first then." he said, digging through his duffel bag for his things.

"Go ahead, I'll simply stay and ponder on the meaning of life… death… hmm… even which topic to ponder on requires pondering…" And she honestly looked like she really was thinking hard about it that Heero could hardly rein in his laughter. "Well then, you have found something to occupy your time. I wish you well." He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Relena alone to her thoughts.

__

Ponder the meaning of life, hmm? she thought wryly, _well now, does that really apply to me still?_ Her eyes fell on the window, looking out onto the bustling city below. Instantly the feeling of desperation overcame her again, the need to drink of something, the warm metallic taste of human blood. She needed to get out of here, to be free of these people who continually held her back. She scrambled for the window, her hands shaking, shoving miscellaneous items from the desk, the only thing blocking her way. In a moment of uncontrollable frenzied panic, she literally tore the desk out of her way with her hands, throwing it with a tremendous crash out towards the single sofa. Jerking at the lock of the window, she flung it up, tearing the screen to shreds with her elongated claws. A leap through it later, and she was free. Free! Free-falling out of the three-story window, she twisted, grasping the windowsill of a lower window, stopping her fall and gaining just enough leverage to spring up towards the roof of the opposite building in the street.

She barely made it, and she hung on to the edge only by her fingertips, scrabbling with her feet to find some place to get a step-up. She lost a few minutes before she was able to haul herself up, and looked back once. She could see several people staring at her through the windows of the hotel, several of them, people she knew. She turned tail and ran, ran as far and fast as she could to get away from them. They'd try and stop her… she couldn't let them. Never. They'd take her back, keep her trapped. Where was her Host? Her Family? An unearthly howl erupted from her throat as she ran, leaping over the gaps between the buildings like it was nothing. She was invincible, a mixture of human, vampire, priestess and Hunter. All conflicting energies, but all making her all-powerful. And she needed to find her Host. She called them to her, the call any mortal being on this plane knows, a call that jerks your muscles into movement before you even know it.

But this was no call of heartfelt love. This was a completely different obedience, a calling of the Order, to answer to their leader. And her guardian, Lady Selene answered her. Darkness fell like a cloak over the city, and people looked up in amazement the moon slowly shifted in front of the sun's rays, blocking them from their sight. A solar eclipse that should not have happened for another fifty years.

And in that darkness and confusion, the cloaked figures of her Host appeared at her, bowing alongside her in their thanks to their goddess. Crowding around her, touching her, seeing if she was real. "We thought you would never return, sister Raven…" croaked out one twisted and slimy voice from beneath the shadows of one black, tattered cloak.

"Get me away from here… they're after me… I can't let them." This was wrong, even among her own Order, she was uncomfortable, frightened. There was too much vampire, too much Priestess in her for the demon, or whatever it was, residing in her to feel completely at ease.

"Let us go then… Lady Selene is waiting."

"Take me to her." Hands passed over her, and she felt herself be lifted up, and carried with unimaginable speed as the moon slowly passed across the sun, allowing the harsh white light of its rays to fall back onto the city as if nothing had happened.

As if none of Relena's friends were now worried sick. As if, if she did not escape the Hunters, she would be killed alongside them in the slaughter the gods of heaven, earth, and hell were plotting against them.

~*~*~*~

End of Chapter. Over! Finally over! Almost done now I hope, this has been dragging on for too long. So Heero seems a little OOC, so what? I think he is entitled to a little humanity after all that's happened. People change you know? Anyway, review me, and email me too if you want!


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